EasyJet flight attendants are on their fourth day of strike this Thursday, scheduled for late May and early June, for a total of five days, accusing the carrier of “unreliability and discrimination” towards other countries.
A May 11 statement from the National Union of Civil Aviation Pilots (SNPVAC) said that easyJet continues to regard Portuguese base crews as “small workers” perpetuating their “unreliability and discrimination against colleagues from other countries.”
According to the union, “a climate of tension and dissatisfaction, as well as a long stalemate in resolving various labor disputes, prompted SNPVAC to issue a new strike notice” for May 26, 28 and 30, and June 1 and 3. .
In the three days of the strike now over, the union and the carrier have presented very different figures: easyJet cites spikes of 55% and 70%, while the union structure points to 100%.
The stoppage applies to “all flights operated by easyJet” as well as “other services that are assigned flight attendant duties” whose “presentation hours occur nationally from 00:01 to 24:00 every day.” says the strike announcement issued by the union.
“The cash benefit amendment proposals previously submitted by the company remain, if not worse, well below the threshold of what is acceptable for decent work for flight attendants,” SNPVAC said, adding that “easyJet remains “deaf” to economic hardship. experienced by its crew due to low incomes due to the recognized rise in the cost of living, which suffocates the workers and endangers the well-being and comfort of their families.
When the shutdown was announced, easyJet said it was “extremely disappointed” with the strike call, deeming the union’s offer of a 63% to 103% increase “unworkable” and announced it would make changes to flights prior to the strike. a strike to soften the impact on customers.
In a statement dated May 19, SNPVAC assured that “easyJet has previously made the decision to mass cancel flights: out of 458 initial flights with Portuguese bases in Lisbon, Porto and Faro, the company has already canceled 384 flights in advance, i.e. 84% of scheduled flights.”
On Tuesday, SNPVAC reported that 224 flights were canceled in the first three days of the easyJet cabin crew strike.