Thousands of passengers will not take off this weekend in Belgium.
A strike by Ryanair cabin crew at the call of a Belgian union will indeed lead to flight cancellations for thousands of passengers, from Friday to Sunday inclusive, at Brussels-Zaventem and Charleroi airports.
The Irish low-cost company indicated on Thursday that this strike, announced on April 15 by the Christian union CNE, forced it to “cancel a certain number of flights to and from” these two Belgian airports between April 22 and 24. , according to a press release.
"More than 50% of flights will operate as planned and we advise customers traveling this weekend to check their flight status on their Ryanair app," said the company, which assured that all travelers affected would be " notified by e-mail and informed of the options available to them, such as a change of flight or a refund”.
A popular hub for the French and the Dutch
In Charleroi, Ryanair's main hub in Belgium, also very popular with tourists from the Netherlands and northern France, cancellations could number in the dozens each of the three days.
Fourteen Ryanair planes are parked at this airport and for Friday alone the 40 scheduled flights departing from Charleroi with these aircraft have been cancelled, said Hervé Fransens, one of the managers of the operating company BSCA (Brussels South Charleroi Airport).
“Out of 12,000 passengers expected” on Friday, all companies combined, “6,500 will have their flights canceled,” he added.
The situation looks similar on Saturday and Sunday, according to him.
Ryanair communicates its traffic forecasts the day before for the following day.
In Brussels-Zaventem, the cancellations will concern five round trips to Madrid, Lisbon, Barcelona, Rome and Dublin as of Friday, according to the airport operator quoted by the Belga press agency.
“Wages are not paid properly”
This social movement occurs in the midst of negotiations between management and unions on a new collective labor agreement (CCT) supposed to improve the working conditions of Ryanair hostesses and stewards based in Belgium.
But the Christian union criticizes the company for ignoring its demands, in particular that of increasing “low wages” to index them to the cost of living, as provided for by Belgian law.
“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 Didier Lebbe, CNE permanent secretary.
For its part, Ryanair accused the union of having "abandoned" the negotiations to provoke a "totally useless" strike.
The low-cost airline employs around 650 people in Belgium, including some 400 stewards and hostesses, according to union figures.
