Ryanair management confirmed first hand to unions during a meeting on Tuesday morning that Belgium will be unaffected by closures of the airline company's bases, Didier Lebbe (CNE) stated to Belga, confirming information published on La Libre Belgique's site.
Ryanair announced its intention to close some bases, notably in Spain and Portugal where strikes are expected. This will not be the case in Belgium, even though disruption could still occur for flights being handled by the Spanish and Portuguese bases when they are on strike, the union representative emphasised.
Ryanair discussed the possible loss of 1,500 jobs as a consequence of poor financial results and delays to the delivery of the Boeing 737 MAX and intends to close two Spanish bases on the Canary Islands as well as one in Gerona at the beginning of next year. A strike is expected on an unspecified date in September. In Portugal, the Faro base is threatened, according to the SNPVAC union that has already called a strike from 21 to 25 August.
The Irish company could additionally be faced with industrial action in Great Britain and Ireland, where pilots are demanding salary increases.
In Belgium, talks to put into practice the draft agreement on salaries that were concluded at the end of May resumed on Tuesday morning between management and Belgian unions. According to Didier Lebbe, there is no strike planned for the moment. "We are still at the negotiation stage. It is hoped the management will stick to the agreement signed just before the holidays. There has been some progress, but it's been very slow."
The Brussels Times
