Airline Ryanair would “blackmail” its staff with a pay cut. According to the low coster, a wage sacrifice of 10% is necessary in order to get through the crisis and avoid redundancies. Trade unions in several European countries denounce the way the company operates.
According to trade unions in Belgium, Spain, Austria and France, among others, Ryanair has been systematically increasing the pressure on staff to agree to the wage reduction for several months, otherwise more redundancies would follow. The unions call this method blackmail because wages are already low. According to the unions, a wage sacrifice of a further 10 per cent makes “a world of difference” and is therefore impossible.
According to a Belgian Federal manager, the company also plays the countries against each other in the negotiations. Jobs that disappear in Belgium, for example, could be added in other countries. The unions are calling on Ryanair to start negotiations instead of imposing conditions.
“The crisis is being abused to settle long-term wage cuts,” it sounds like.
