Ryanair today submitted a competition complaint to the European Commission in an effort to clampdown on strike action it claims is being instigated by staff from rival airlines.
The budget carrier is facing walkouts by cabin crew across six countries on Friday affecting 30,000 passengers.
Ryanair claimed that it is being damaged by “unnecessary strikes and disruptive interference” in its bona fide union negotiations, “promoted and co-ordinated by competitor airline employees, their unions and lobby groups”.
The airline, calling on the European competition authority to investigate, said: “This is an unlawful attempt to distort competition and customer choice, for the benefit of legacy airlines.”
Chief executive Michael O’Leary, speaking in Brussels, said: “We have made real progress with the unions and our people in many EU countries since we agreed to recognise unions in December 2017.
“However, in certain countries, most notably in Portugal, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, and Sweden similar progress is being impeded by the interference of competitor airline pilots and cabin crew who are conspiring to call repeated and unnecessary strikes, which are disrupting Ryanair’s customers, and damaging our business for the benefit of their legacy airline employers.
“We are not aware of any other multi-national company in Europe where its union negotiations are interfered with by competitor employees.
“Volkswagen’s union negotiations do not take place with Peugeot car workers. Tesco is not required to meet with Asda employees. Yet in Ryanair currently, we are being asked to negotiate with pilots and/or cabin crew of Aer Lingus, Norwegian, TAP, Eurowings, KLM and Braathens. This is anti-competitive behaviour which damages consumers.”
He added: “The majority of Ryanair’s pilots and cabin crew do not support these strikes, and they have continued to work normally. We work hard to ensure that our people enjoy the best pay, terms and conditions of any low cost 737 airline in Europe.
“Our pilots and cabin crew wish to come to work free from intimidation from these competitor unions. They are being denied this opportunity by unnecessary strikes, which are being organised unlawfully on a Europe wide basis in meetings of competitor airline pilots and cabin crew. This is damaging Ryanair’s business for the benefit of legacy airlines.
“We have today published our offer to pilots and cabin crew, and call on the European Commission – if it’s going to defend the growth of low fare air travel and consumer choice – to take action now to prevent these competitor airline employees from interfering with our business and damaging the best interests of our customers to the benefit of high fare legacy airlines”.