Ryanair violated worker’s right to strike in Spain says the Labour Inspectorate

According to Spain’s Labour Inspectorate Ryanair violated the right of workers to strike earlier in the year, when it used so called “scab” labour.

News site La Vanguardia said on Wednesday, November 30 that the union had denounced the airline after it replaced workers effectively allowing itself to continue operating a full schedule.

The practice is illegal in Spain and can result in considerable fines for the company concerned. The report seen by the news agency suggests that Ryanair is guilty and that the infringements range from “serious” to “very serious.”

The infringements are said to have taken place at the Irish airline’s bases in Barcelona and Girona.

Ryanair is likely to be forced to re-employ the 40 or so workers it let go, as it is likely to face fines ranging from €3,700 to 7,500 for the lesser infringements and between €120,000 and €225,000 for the more serious cases.

The union involved USO said: “The Labour Inspectorate has confirmed what USO already denounced in the first days of the strike: it lacks information on scheduled flights as minimum services; abuse by Ryanair of the appointment of guards to a larger number of workers than usual; the reinforcement of crews with others taken from other EU member states and third states to operate flights not protected by minimum services or the modification of minimum services.”

Although the report lists Girona and Barcelona, it says that the directorate hasn’t been able to find sufficient evidence of “scabbing” in the Balearic Islands, Alicante, Malaga and Madrid.

Ryanair are renowned for bending the law and pushing the boundaries, this time however it could prove costly as they are found to have violated worker’s right to strike.  

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