EasyJet has so far canceled 350 flights between July 21 and July 25, days of a new cabin crew strike, equivalent to 69% of flights due to depart from Porto, Lisbon and Faro, the union reported Monday.
“This was a strike that could have been avoided had the company had the will not to let it happen, but EasyJet seems determined not to return to strike-announcement negotiations as it has already canceled 69% of flights, i.e. 350 flights.” that would depart from the bases in Porto, Lisbon and Faro for the days of the strike, which will be carried out on July 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25, 2023,” said the National Union of Civil Aviation Flight Personnel (SNPVAC). , in a press release.
On Thursday, union members “failed” with 90% of the vote against the airline’s proposal for wage increases after five days of strike between July 21 and 25, the third strike in a few months.
The cabin crew claims conditions for the crew of the Portuguese bases are comparable to those of the bases in other countries.
The airline, on the other hand, expressed disappointment with the new strike, accusing the union of continuing with impractical demands and claiming increases “that show no sense of reality”.
According to the company, the union’s most recent proposal was a 44% increase in total compensation.
In the statement sent today, SNPVAC recalled that “unlike other countries where easyJet operates, the crew of the Portuguese bases voted unanimously in October 2020 for a salary freeze, helping the company through its most difficult phase”, during the covid -19 pandemic.
“We are now asking the company to show the ‘sense of reality’ and ‘sense of responsibility’ it has shown in other jurisdictions, such as France and Germany, where the company has given wage increases to employees even without the growth of the operation. demonstrated it in Portugal,” the workers’ representatives stressed, stressing that the SNPVAC proposal “does not cover the value of inflation since the beginning of 2022 and does not include the pandemic years.”
The union also recalled the airline’s objective to “exceed market expectations and achieve a profit of EUR 294 million by the end of September”, as it is now up to the company to demonstrate that the business model in the country is “consistent with the claim, always touted, of being the second best employer in the airline industry”.
The SNPVAC also strengthened its readiness to continue negotiations, it will not accept “that the company continues to perpetuate its regime of maximum profitability and minimum compensation”.
Source: DN
