Ryanair staff to strike: Here's how it might affect your New Year's Eve plans

Ryanair cabin crew are set to strike the last weekend of the year, this Friday 30 and Saturday 31 December 2022 and Sunday 1 January 2023.

Refusing to guarantee legal minimum wage

Staff based at Zaventem (Brussels Airport) and Charleroi in Belgium will walk out over a pay dispute. They say the Irish low-cost airline continuously refuses to guarantee the Belgian legal minimum wage, as per The Brussels Times.

It’s anticipated that 107 planes will be cancelled, stranding some 19,000 passengers, according to La Dernière Heure.

Philippe Verdonck, CEO of Charleroi Airport, also revealed to Le Soir staff frustrations about the uncertainty of the airline's future at its Zaventem base, which closed at the end of October:

Nineteen thousand people are being held hostage because of this strike.

Do I understand this strike? We are launching a movement because of uncertainty about the future of the Brussels base! Welcome to Belgium and thank you to those who are instigating this movement.

This tweet translates to:

The CNE announces a strike by #Ryanair cabin crew on 30 and 31 December, but also on 1, 7 and 8 January.'

The text overlay on the image translates to:

5 days of strike planned during the festive season at Ryanair

Ryanair responsible for finding solution

Didier Lebbe, Permanent Secretary for the Christian union CNE, responded:

A hostage situation? You have to be careful with the terms you use.

There is currently a Belgian citizen in prison in Iran, that's hostage taking. There is a difference between people who will have a disrupted New Year's Eve and real hostage-taking that puts lives in danger.

He added that Ryanair was responsible for seeking alternative solutions for affected passengers. Lebbe said:

There is still space on many flights before and after the weekend. Ryanair should give priority to those affected by the strike.

Staff are also expected to strike on 7 and 8 January.

Sources used:

Express: Ryanair staff to strike with '19,000 passengers held hostage' and 100 flights cancelled