Frankfurt (dpa) – German pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) is preparing to announce strike action, with a spokesman saying on Tuesday that a midnight deadline passed without the union receiving an improved offer for pay and conditions from budget carrier Ryanair.
The spokesman said a strike plan would be announced at 11 am (0900 GMT) on Wednesday. The stoppage is expected to include all 400 German Ryanair pilots, who could walk out at 24 hours’ notice.
Last week, 96 per cent of the VC union’s members voted in favour of industrial action.
The deadline comes three days after Irish Ryanair pilots held a 24-hour strike. It also comes ahead of a strike on Friday organized by pilots unions in Sweden, Belgium and Ireland that has prompted Ryanair to cancel 146 of its 2,400 planned flights that day.
The airline said last week that it had issued notices of possible redundancy to 100 pilots and 200 cabin crew after its board approved a plan to cut its Dublin-based fleet from 30 to 24 aircraft over the winter.
