easyJet cabin crew have approved strike action from 2 to 6 October and again from 19 to 23 December, with around 500 scheduled flights expected to be affected during the first strike period.
The decision was taken today at a general meeting of easyJet cabin crew, a company source told journalists.
“easyJet cabin crew voted today at a general meeting in favour of strike action on 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 October, and on 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23 December,” the company source said.
Around 500 scheduled flights operating from easyJet’s bases in Faro, Lisbon and Porto are expected to be affected between 2 and 6 October.
The minimum services to be maintained during the strike will be “negotiated at a later stage”, the source added.
As for the December strike dates, the impact is “not yet possible to determine”, the same source said, although the number of affected flights is “expected to be considerably higher” as the dates fall during the Christmas period, when airlines typically increase capacity to meet higher demand.
The strike motion put forward by the board of the National Union of Civil Aviation Flight Staff (SNPVAC) was approved unanimously, with 188 votes in favour.
Among the issues raised by the union are a lack of stability in crew rosters, what it describes as discriminatory treatment compared with pilots regarding compensation offered under the company agreement, and undue pressure on crew to work overtime.
easyJet cabin crew held an emergency general meeting to assess working conditions at the airline and decide on possible measures. SNPVAC had previously warned that “all options” were on the table.
On Tuesday, 15 September, an SNPVAC board source told Portugal’s Lusa news agency that “the working conditions of easyJet cabin crew continue to deteriorate in Portugal”.
“We have repeatedly warned easyJet about this situation, which has changed little or not at all, with very negative consequences for crew members’ rights,” the source added.
Source: LUSA
Photo credit: Bom Dia Europa
