Italian low-cost airline workers go on strike

At least 400 domestic and international flights were canceled in Italy on Sunday as airline crews, cabin crew, and pilots of low-cost airlines staged a four-hour strike, reports Corriere Della Sera.

The industrial action reportedly involved employees from Ryanair, Volotea, EasyJet, and Air Malta, and flight attendant company CrewLink. Italian state-backed ITA Airways said it had canceled 122 flights, accounting for 40% of the airline’s daily capacity. Several unions also called on workers of the air traffic control company ENAV to join the stop.

As a result of the protest, easyJet canceled flights from Milan Linate Airport to Berlin and Rome Fiumicino to Amsterdam. Ryanair said it was forced to cancel some flights because of the ENAV strike.

The strike, expected to affect up to 68,000 passengers, broke out over a dispute over workers’ rights, working conditions, and minimum wage payments in the industry.

The impact could have been worse as the action was initially planned to last 24 hours but the intervention of the Guarantee Commission resulted in it being decreased to four hours.

The action is the latest in a series of strikes in Italy. Two previous protests took place on June 8th and 25th.

The disruption will last from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. local time, according to a statement from ENAV. Flights scheduled between 7 am and 10 am and between 6 pm and 9 pm will not be involved.

Earlier this week, the Uiltrasporti union said pilots and flight attendants at low-cost airlines were underworking “Persistent unacceptable conditions” easyJet was accused of unfair dismissals and Volotea of ​​minimum wage cuts.