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RYANAIR STRIKE: Hundreds of flights were cancelled across Europe

The travel plans of around 55,000 people across Europe were disrupted over the weekend after Ryanair pilots went on strike leading to one in six of the budget carrier's flights being cancelled.

The travel plans of around 55,000 people across Europe were disrupted over the weekend after Ryanair pilots went on strike leading to one in six of the budget carrier’s flights being cancelled.

The saga began on Friday when Ryanair staff in Germany, Sweden, Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands staged a 24 hour walk-out on Friday with German union Cockpit over pay and conditions.

Germany was hardest hit by the industrial action, with 250 flights cancelled at 10 airports.

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Image: WSWS

The union says employee contracts need to be governed by relevant national laws where Ryanair staff are based, not by Irish legislation.

Ryanair management does not agree with the action, calling the strike “regrettable and unjustified”, claiming pilots are paid more than other budget airlines.

They also said they were “making every effort to resolve the dispute”.

As expected, thousands of angry Ryanair passengers complained on social media about the cancellations ruining their travel plans.

Ryanair responded by saying that they took every step to minimise the disruption and notified customers as early as possible, advising them of refund or re-route options

“The majority of customers affected have already been re-accommodated,” a spokesperson for Ryanair said.

Ryanair

“We want to again apologise to customers affected by this unnecessary disruption and we ask the striking unions to continue negotiations instead of calling any more unjustified strikes”.

It is yet to be confirmed if any successful negotiations have been made following the strike action but we will keep you posted.

Were any of your clients affected by the strikes? Let us know below.