EasyJet Portugal Cabin Crew Announce Strikes Impacting Flights in October and December
Details of the Planned Strikes and Their Impact
Strike Dates and Affected Flights
LISBON, Sept 17 (Reuters) - EasyJet's cabin crew in Portugal voted on Thursday to go on strike between October 2 and 6 and again from December 19 to 23 to protest poor working conditions, in a move likely to ground hundreds of flights at Portuguese airports, a spokesperson for the SNPVAC union said.
The first strike alone is expected to ground some 500 scheduled EasyJet flights to and from Lisbon, Porto and Faro airports, excluding any minimum-service flights yet to be determined by authorities, according to union estimates.
Union Concerns and Complaints
Worsening Working Conditions
The spokesperson for the leading Portuguese cabin crew union said working conditions for Portugal-based crew "continued to deteriorate despite warnings from the union that the airline had failed to address".
Key Issues Raised by Cabin Crew
Unstable Rosters and Company Agreement Breaches
The complaints centre on unstable rosters, breaches of the company agreement, discriminatory treatment compared with pilots, operational planning failures, and pressure to work overtime to cover staff shortages, the spokesperson said.
Potential Impact During Christmas Travel Season
The second stoppage could have an even greater impact on the low-cost carrier's operations, as it coincides with the busy Christmas travel season, when airlines operate fuller flight schedules.
Response from EasyJet
EasyJet officials in Portugal were not immediately available for comment.
(Reporting by Sergio Goncalves; editing by Andrei Khalip)
