THE "biggest strike in Ryanair's history" has been confirmed for later this month by cabin crew in five countries.
On September 28, Ryanair staff in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands will walkout for 24 hours in a dispute over working conditions.
Union representatives confirmed the date of the industrial action today at a press conference in Brussels, during which they accused the low-cost airline's management of engaging in a "bullying culture" and "intimidating" anyone who expressed an intention to strike by sending letters and threatening job losses.
They warned that the strike will be the "biggest the airline has ever seen" and insisted it will cause "travel chaos" for Ryanair passengers flying across Europe that day – claims the airline rejected this afternoon.
Cabin crew first threatened the strike last week, saying they had no option but to strike if Ryanair did not meet their demands – which call for issues surrounding local laws which govern their contracts to be resolved immediately.
Their statement read: "Shareholders will have the opportunity to place Ryanair on the right track and ensure a long and sustainable model more suitable to the Europe of the 21st century by capturing the right talents to bring Ryanair to the level that we all want to see it.
"If the company leadership is not willing to make the changes necessary, (we) will have no choice but to respond with the biggest strike action the company has ever seen."
The unions believe the 24-hour strike action will force the carrier to cancel around 80% of its flights from Belgium’s Charleroi Airport and all of its flights from Brussels Airport – with only a small number of services able to operate as normal in the other four countries.
However, Ryanair has rejected the "false" claims, saying it expects the "overwhelming majority" of its services to operate as normal on September 28.
