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‘Enough is enough!’ easyJet pilots’ union calls two-day strike for September
The announcement follows last month’s cabin crew strike, which led to nearly 100 flight cancellations
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Pilots working for easyJet in France have been called to strike on September 13 and 14, just weeks after cabin crew reached an agreement with the airline following their own strike in August.
“Enough is enough!,” the Syndicat National des Pilotes de Ligne (SNPL) said on September 4 , arguing that it had been trying for four months to negotiate concrete measures to improve schedule stability.
The dispute follows another strike by easyJet cabin crew on August 15-16, which resulted in nearly 100 flight cancellations.
A deal was ultimately reached between the airline and cabin crew unions and a subsequent strike threat was cancelled.
Under the new agreement, easyJet cabin crew are guaranteed at least five fixed days per month when their schedules cannot be changed, as well as compensation for schedule changes of more than two hours.
However this agreement led to SNPL’s frustration as pilots have also been asking for similar measures.
“It is impossible to organise one’s family life, appointments or simply one’s rest when the schedule can be changed several times a week,” the union said.
The SNPL said that the situation for pilots is even worse than that of their cabin crew colleagues and that “it is common for a pilot to find themselves at the end of the month with a schedule where not a single day is the same as at the beginning of the month.”
“Curiously, what was ‘impossible’ became possible after the cabin crew strike,” the union said.
It also said that the issue has implications for fatigue and operational safety.
Strike could still be avoided
Despite announcing the two-day strike, the SNPL said it remains open to negotiations.
“The company can still avoid this strike planned for September 13 and 14,” the union said. “It is not being asked to invent new solutions: some already exist within the company itself. It simply needs to apply them to pilots as well.”
For passengers travelling with easyJet in France on September 13 or 14, the extent of any disruption will depend on how many pilots participate and on any measures agreed between the airline and the union.
Until then, passengers are advised to monitor their communications with the airline as the strike dates approach.
