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French to Ryanair: ‘We don’t care about your profits’

French air traffic controllers have dismissed Ryanair’s complaints about their strikes having cost the budget airline millions in lost profit calling boss Michael O’Leary a “provocateur”.

French to Ryanair: 'We don't care about your profits'
Ryanair's chief executive Michael O'Leary is not a big fan of French air traffic controllers. Photo: AFP

A representative of the leading French air traffic controllers union told The Local that safety and not Ryanair’s profits were their priority after recent complaints from O’Leary that his airline’s takings had nosedived by millions thanks to strikes in France.

“What matters to us is how secure the air traffic control system is in France,” Stephane Lonni, from the SNCTA union, told The Local. “Besides, Ryanair’s profits have never been higher.”

“The fact that there have been over 40 strikes in France is a symptom of a problem that clearly has not been resolved.

“In France we have some of the oldest equipment to work with and a serious problem with a lack of staff,” he added.

“We don’t want to strike. We prefer to find a compromise. It’s a last resort that will we use if we have to.”

Unions' main beef is with a fall in the number of staff that is placing ever greater pressure on the controllers at a time when the amount of air traffic continues to rise and aviation security is a major concern.

The Irish no-frills airline forecast this week a hit of between €10 million and €20 million ($11.4 million and $22.8 million) in the fourth quarter of its financial year, or three months to March 31st.

French air traffic controllers justify 42nd strike since 2009

While part of that drop was due to the Brussels terror attacks, O’Leary said the strikes in France have played a key role.

O'Leary was scathing of the frequency and “cynical” timing of industrial action by air traffic controllers in France during peak holiday periods which, he said, caused untold inconvenience to passengers across Europe.

“The last strike ten days ago had nothing to do with air traffic controllers at all; they just don't like the new social legislation being produced by the French government,” he said.

“That's fine but don't strand everybody else across Europe,” he added, reiterating his call for a ban on air traffic controller strikes.

Ryanair wants the public to join their campaign, “Keep Europe’s Skies Open“, which was launched last year. With enough support they claim they can force Europe to take action against the French.

“O’Leary is a provocateur and he is just trying to turn the public against us,” said Lonni. “he tries to make us to out be like spoiled children.”

“A lot of the public don’t understand we have to take action. They are just concerned about their holiday being ruined,” he said.

“We know we will be unpopular. It’s a complicated situation and we try to explain to people why we have to strike, but they don’t understand.”

With SNCTA and other unions still battling with French aviation authorities over their grievances O’Leary can expect his profits to be hit even further and passengers around Europe can expect more disruption.

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TRAVEL NEWS

German train strike wave to end following new labour agreement

Germany's Deutsche Bahn rail operator and the GDL train drivers' union have reached a deal in a wage dispute that has caused months of crippling strikes in the country, the union said.

German train strike wave to end following new labour agreement

“The German Train Drivers’ Union (GDL) and Deutsche Bahn have reached a wage agreement,” GDL said in a statement.

Further details will be announced in a press conference on Tuesday, the union said. A spokesman for Deutsche Bahn also confirmed that an agreement had been reached.

Train drivers have walked out six times since November, causing disruption for huge numbers of passengers.

The strikes have often lasted for several days and have also caused disruption to freight traffic, with the most recent walkout in mid-March.

In late January, rail traffic was paralysed for five days on the national network in one of the longest strikes in Deutsche Bahn’s history.

READ ALSO: Why are German train drivers launching more strike action?

Europe’s largest economy has faced industrial action for months as workers and management across multiple sectors wrestle over terms amid high inflation and weak business activity.

The strikes have exacerbated an already gloomy economic picture, with the German economy shrinking 0.3 percent across the whole of last year.

What we know about the new offer so far

Through the new agreement, there will be optional reduction of a work week to 36 hours at the start of 2027, 35.5 hours from 2028 and then 35 hours from 2029. For the last three stages, employees must notify their employer themselves if they wish to take advantage of the reduction steps.

However, they can also opt to work the same or more hours – up to 40 hours per week are possible in under the new “optional model”.

“One thing is clear: if you work more, you get more money,” said Deutsche Bahn spokesperson Martin Seiler. Accordingly, employees will receive 2.7 percent more pay for each additional or unchanged working hour.

According to Deutsche Bahn, other parts of the agreement included a pay increase of 420 per month in two stages, a tax and duty-free inflation adjustment bonus of 2,850 and a term of 26 months.

Growing pressure

Last year’s walkouts cost Deutsche Bahn some 200 million, according to estimates by the operator, which overall recorded a net loss for 2023 of 2.35 billion.

Germany has historically been among the countries in Europe where workers went on strike the least.

But since the end of 2022, the country has seen growing labour unrest, while real wages have fallen by four percent since the start of the war in Ukraine.

German airline Lufthansa is also locked in wage disputes with ground staff and cabin crew.

Several strikes have severely disrupted the group’s business in recent weeks and will weigh on first-quarter results, according to the group’s management.

Airport security staff have also staged several walkouts since January.

Some politicians have called for Germany to put in place rules to restrict critical infrastructure like rail transport from industrial action.

But Chancellor Olaf Scholz has rejected the calls, arguing that “the right to strike is written in the constitution… and that is a democratic right for which unions and workers have fought”.

The strikes have piled growing pressure on the coalition government between Scholz’s Social Democrats, the Greens and the pro-business FDP, which has scored dismally in recent opinion polls.

The far-right AfD has been enjoying a boost in popularity amid the unrest with elections in three key former East German states due to take place later this year.

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