Ryanair flight crew in Belgium launched a three-day strike on Friday coinciding with the New Year weekend and grounding dozens of planes. A total of 48 Ryanair flights were canceled on Friday, said Philippe Verdonck, president of Charleroi airport, Belgium’s second for passenger traffic.
About 22,000 travelers should be affected by this strike over the three days, he said. The Irish company operates 15 planes from Belgium and the strike was not expected to impact planes based in other countries.
Ryanair employees in Belgium have already gone on strike several times this year. They accuse the company of illegally pressuring employees to work from time to time at other sites across Europe, particularly in Dublin.
“For three years, Ryanair has recognized that it is subject to Belgian legislation but refuses to invest in a personnel policy. The pay slips are incorrect, the salaries are not paid correctly”, denounced in April Didier Lebbe, permanent secretary CNE.
The unions are planning a new strike for the weekend of January 7 and 8. Charleroi airport, which serves more than 190 destinations, mostly in the Mediterranean basin, boasts traffic of eight million passengers per year. He is number two in Belgium behind Brussels-Zaventem.