Irish low cost carrier Ryanair through a memo sent to pilots unveils that its bases at Berlin, Tegel and Dusseldorf airports is at risk of closure by the end of summer. As Vereinigung Cocpit (VC), German pilots association, rejects “productivity-enhancing measures” that include furloughs and pay cuts.
German airline union Vereinigung Cockpit said that “less than half of pilots were in favour of accepting” the pay deal.
“We believe the agreement would have the potential to harm the entire pilot community across Germany.”
While Ryanair said the proposed cuts are based on current schedule plans, and insisted that they could become “considerably worse” if there is a resurgence of coronavirus.
“We made it clear throughout negotiations that if the vote was unsuccessful, then the next step would have to be dismissals,”
“It is bizarre that the union canvassed against the deal knowing very well that the result would be base closures and job losses.”
“We must move on with alternative measures to deliver savings, which regrettably will mean base closures and dismissals,” Ryanair said in a memo to its German pilots.
The measures were aimed at employees working for Malta Air – Ryanair’s subsidiary employing German pilots. According to VC’s strongly-worded press release, nearly 88% of the pilots working for the company rejected a “strange” proposal that would be “of no benefit to them” and has the “potential to harm the entire pilot community throughout Germany”.
VC also blamed Ryanair for refusing to negotiate, to which the company responded with a statement that its base at Frankfurt Hahn Airport is to be closed, possibly followed by bases at Berlin Tegel and Dusseldorf Airports.
Source: bbc.com