Work stoppages in Italy by Ryanair employees and air traffic controllers caused minimal disruption on Saturday. Ryanair workers - not including pilots - staged a four-hour strike over their exclusion from contract negotiations with the Ireland-based budget airline, which is in talks with the pilots' union ANPAC.
Personnel of Ryanair rivals Blue Panorama and Vueling also struck on Saturday. Blue Panorama workers stayed away for four hours, while air traffic controllers and Vueling employees launched an eight-hour strike. None of the three airlines reported flight cancellations Saturday at Italy's main airports, and their websites reflected minimal disruption.
The three unions representing Ryanair workers - Cgil, Cisl and Uil - have called for "serious negotiations" on wages, contracts and guarantees for "all categories of personnel" in Italy. Ryanair, contacted by AFP on Friday, refused to comment on "rumours and speculation."
Ryanair suffered a turbulent end to 2017, forced to cancel 20,000 flights through to March 2018, mainly because of botched holiday scheduling for pilots. The fiasco triggered pilots' demands for better working conditions and representation, with some departing for other carriers.
The discontent also saw Ryanair hit by the first-ever strike action by pilots in its 32-year history, with German staff staging a short stoppage ahead of Christmas resulting in delays but no cancellations. In December, Ryanair made moves to formally recognise unions, facing the threat of further strikes in Italy, Ireland and Portugal.
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