Ryanair Cabin Crew Unions Seek Expanded Legal Protections and Labor Rights
The United StatesO Workers’ Union (USO) and Sitcpla representatives from Ryanair cabin crew have announced a planned weekly strike pattern. The action is set to run from Monday through Thursday, beginning 8 August and extending through 7 January 2023. The unions insist the strike will continue until the airline agrees to engage in dialogue with elected crew representatives, rather than with a single party installed by management. This stance marks a strategic shift in how the unions intend to push for negotiations and workplace improvements.
In Spain, Ryanair faces criticism from USO and Sitcpla over the absence of formal legal representation within the country’s labor framework. The unions argue that the Spanish legal system should govern labor relations for crew based in Spain, noting that Ryanair has not yet complied with these expectations. Despite this, an agreement reached in January 2019 formalized recognition of USO and Sitcpla as the cabin crew representatives. Since then, the unions have begun negotiating the initial collective agreement with the airline, following a process that included a collaboration with an external company to help legitimize their role.
USO and Sitcpla report that they collectively represent around 1,000 members, with a broader estimate placing total Ryanair cabin crew in Spain at about 1,500. The airline, however, has indicated it will not negotiate with these unions in the same manner it has with others, including the CCOO, limiting direct dialogue and formal bargaining channels.
The new round of demands from USO and Sitcpla centers on three core objectives. First, the unions are asking for adherence to the Spanish labor and union framework across all cabin crew employed by Ryanair on Spanish soil, covering the ten bases located in Spain. After the earlier decision to close bases in the Canary Islands, Ryanair currently operates through ten business centers coast to coast in Spain. The union list of bases includes Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga, Alicante, Seville, Palma de Mallorca, Valencia, Girona, Santiago de Compostela, and Ibiza. This emphasizes a centralized approach to rights, benefits, and working conditions for crew members operating from these hubs.
In practical terms, the unions seek the restoration of fundamental worker rights. These include: a minimum of 22 days of annual leave, a minimum of 14 legally recognized holidays, strict compliance with health and safety standards as mandated by PRL law, formal guardianship rights that protect workers, clearly defined and reduced working hours, and the restoration of pre-pandemic salary levels, in line with a ruling previously issued by the National Court. The broader point is to ensure working conditions and remuneration reflect standard Spanish labor protections rather than a purely performance-driven model that can be shaped by unilateral actions from the employer. They also demand an end to the practice of hiring workers through noncompliant appointment procedures and a reaffirmation of the legitimate right of workers to strike when necessary.
Beyond these baseline rights, the unions call for the immediate readmission of workers who were dismissed during recent strike-support actions. Eleven employees were laid off during hearings conducted in June and July in relation to their support for the right to strike. A third focal point is the suspension and dismissal of open enforcement proceedings impacting around one hundred workers tied to earlier shutdown measures. The unions insist these enforcement actions should be halted and all related files closed to permit a fair reentry to work for affected crew members.
Observers note that the situation reflects a broader trend in European aviation labor negotiations, where unions push for stronger representation and standardized labor protections even as airlines seek to preserve flexibility in staffing and costs. The ongoing discussions are being monitored by labor rights advocates who emphasize the importance of lawful representation and transparent bargaining processes as a foundation for durable labor peace. The situation also signals potential shifts in how Spanish bases and crews are managed within low-cost airline models, underscoring the growing expectation that global operators must align with national labor standards while sustaining operational efficiency. In line with these expectations, the unions continue to advocate for dialogue with Ryanair’s management, backed by legal rights and collective bargaining mechanisms recognized under Spanish law. (attribution: USO and Sitcpla)