A collective bargaining agreement negotiation was to have taken place between Ryanair and Swedish pilots on Wednesday but was cancelled when the company realised that a union would be attending the meeting.
”My opinion is that they planned to threaten the pilots,” says Martin Lindgren, chairman of SPF.
Ryanair's Swedish pilots are not entitled to, among other things, contractual pensions, sickness compensation and Swedish working hours regulations, and want to sign a collective agreement with the employer. When the company refuses to negotiate, the pilots have announced that they intend to go on strike on Friday. 22 flights to and from Skavsta Airport outside Nyköping are canceled as a consequence of the lockdown.
”"The plan was for the Swedish Pilots' Association (SPF) to enter into negotiations with Ryanair today, together with a mediator. But when Ryanair realized that they would not be allowed to sit alone with the pilots from Skavsta, they withdrew. My understanding is that they planned to threaten the pilots so that they would not dare to carry out their plans," Martin Lindgren tells TT.
The Swedish pilots' strike will be the company's fifth one-day strike in Europe in a short period of time. And it's the first time the airline has not covered up with pilots from other countries, as employees across Europe are planning the same thing.
In addition to Swedish pilots, pilots in Belgium, Ireland and Germany will refrain from flying on Friday. The Netherlands has also voted to go on strike.
”"We certainly hope that this will lead to a change, but it is not certain. There is a great risk that the strikes will continue unless Ryanair comes to the negotiating table," says Martin Lindgren.
It is difficult to say how hard the many strikes will hit Ryanair. In addition to the financial losses, there is a significant risk that the airline's reputation will be affected.
”"It is clear that the strikes will affect Ryanair financially, but it is not a huge sum of money. However, it can damage the brand. It is not good if customers do not feel that they can trust that the plane will take off," says Mats Hyttinge, senior analyst at Jarl Securities.
However, Mats Hyttinge does not believe that Ryanair will give in to the protests and provide a collective agreement.
”"I would be very surprised if Ryanair agrees to the demands. They want the cheapest possible rules to apply so they can continue to push their prices down. Unfortunately, I don't think this strike will lead to any change."”
TT has contacted Ryanair, who do not want to comment on the events in more detail.
”"We apologize to our customers for the disruption that this unnecessary strike will cause," the airline wrote in an email to TT.
The affected passengers have been offered refunds or rebookings.
Source: TT
