69% correspond to flights from Porto, Lisbon and Faro, says union
Low cost airline EasyJet has so far cancelled 350 flights betweenJuly 21-25, the days of a new cabin crew strike, corresponding to 69% of flights scheduled to depart from Porto, Lisbon and Faro.
Says a statement from SNPVAC, the national civil aviation flight staff union: “This is a strike that could be avoided if there was the company’s will for it not to happen, but easyJet seems intent on not returning to negotiations, having already cancelled 69% of flights, that is, 350 flights that would depart from the bases of Porto, Lisbon and Faro for the strike days of July 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25.
Last Thursday, union members rejected the airline’s proposal for wage increases, demanding similar conditions at Portuguese bases to those at bases in other countries.
easyJet has said it was disappointed with the strike, accusing the union of demanding increases “that do not demonstrate any sense of reality”.
According to the company, the union’s latest proposal constitutes a 44% increase in overall pay.
In the statement sent out today, SNPVAC stresses that, “unlike in other countries where easyJet has operations, crew members at Portuguese bases unanimously voted for a pay freeze in October 2020, helping the company in 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 in France and Germany, where the company has provided increases to workers, even without the growth in operations shown in Portugal.”
SNPVAC’s proposal “does not even cover the value of inflation since the beginning of 2022 and does not include the pandemic years,” the statement continues
The union also recalls the airline’s goal of “exceeding market expectations and achieving profits of €294 million by the end of September”, saying it is now up to easyJet to demonstrate that the business model in the country “is consistent with the claim, always preached, of being the second best employer in the aviation sector”.
SNPVAC also claims it is willing to continue negotiations, and will not accept “that the company continues to perpetuate its regime of maximum profitability and minimum remuneration”.
Source: LUSA
