EasyJet cancels five flights in Barcelona due to cabin crew strike

The low-cost airline, EasyJet, canceled five flights from Barcelona-El Prat airport on Wednesday until 2pm due to the three-day cabin crew strike, which started on Wednesday.

In total, 657 workers from the airport bases in Barcelona (143), Alicante (106), Malaga (127) and Palma de Mallorca (281) are called to join the strike.

The USO trade union, calling the protest, estimates that 72 flights will be affected at Barcelona airport, 24 each day, out of the 144 flights scheduled during the three-day strike.

Flights canceled in Barcelona were headed to Basel, London, Manchester, and two to Berlin.

Minimum services in Barcelona will be at 86%, something the union has described as "abusive."

According to USO, the basic salary of cabin crew at EasyJet is €14,067.80. The union also says that 75% of staff are on fixed-discontinuous contracts, which allow for intermittent and cyclical work shifts rather than constant and continual work, and contracts only operate for nine months of the year. Cabin crew salaries range between €18,214 in Portugal and €43,516 in Switzerland, compared to other countries. In Italy, workers earn €19,086, €23,520 in the UK, and €27,147 in the Netherlands.

Across other Spanish airports, nine flights were cancelled in Palma de Mallorca, and five more in Malaga. 

USOC representative in EasyJet, Estela Vall, has said that the company is setting up "extreme" measures to "neutralize" the effects of the strike and is moving cabin crews from other locations to replace staff from Spanish airports.

Workers complained that the company does not "really want to negotiate," which is why they are thinking of planning a new strike in August.

The company, according to the USOC representative, is also reducing cabin crew personnel from 4 to 3 in each plane, which forces a reduction in the number of passengers to up to 150.