Ryanair wants to fire its cabin crew and pilots in the Netherlands
It follows the closure of the Eindhoven base last month
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Ryanair has applied to fire its crew in the Netherlands following the closure of its base in Eindhoven last month.
The Dutch Traffic Flyers Association (VNV), which represents pilots, said that Ryanair had applied for “collective dismissal” of its Netherlands-based staff from the UWV, a Dutch employment union.
In October, Ryanair announced it would cut its Eindhoven base in November, alongside closing one in Bremen, Germany. At the time, the move was labelled “a declaration of war” by Arthur van de Hudding, president of Dutch pilots’ union VNV.
It’s understood that Ryanair wants its Eindhoven pilots to relocate to foreign bases far away from the Netherlands.
According to a statement by union VNV, Ryanair says the dismissal is down to poor economic performance of its Eindhoven base, but VNV argues that these “business economic reasons” have not been supported by figures from the low-cost airline.
VNV added that it was surprised that the UWV was considering Ryanair’s request, but that it would support its members.
In November, a court judgement ruled that Ryanair could not force its Eindhoven-based crew to move to a foreign base when it was shuttered, and that the airline would need to pay the salaries of those who refused to move.
Before the closure of the Eindhoven base, Ryanair had 50 pilots and 150 cabin crew for four aircraft, according to local paper NU.
At the end of the summer, around 40,000 passengers were affected by a one-day strike by Ryanair staff across six European countries, including the Netherlands. The walkout by pilots and cabin crew grounded around 250 flights.
Ryanair has not responded to The Independent's request for comment.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments