EasyJet strikes could affect 500 flights next month as Brits face holiday cancellations

EasyJet strikes could affect 500 flights next month as Brits face holiday cancellations EasyJet cabin crew are set to walk out for five days in October and again in December over working conditions causing havoc with flight cancellations Brits hoping to head off on holiday could see their easyJet flights cancelled with hundreds set to be axed over a staff walk-out. Cabin crew in Portugal have decided to go on strike for five days in October and again in December with flights affected from Lisbon, Porto and Faro airports. The SNPVAC union has been in a bitter row with easyJet bosses over pay and claims of unequal treatment. The first strike will be carried out from October 2 to October 6 with around 500 flights axed. From the UK, easyJet operates flights to Portugal from airports including Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Gatwick, Luton, Southend, Manchester and Newcastle. Then a second walk out will take place from December 19 to December 23, messing up hundreds of holidaymakers' travel plans over the festive period. While easyJet has stated that it is "extremely disappointed" with the SNPVAC union, around 188 of the airline's workers have unanimously agreed to take part in the strikes. The union claims that easyJet "does not respond" to its concerns while saying working conditions for Portuguese staff continues to deteriorate. It alleges that the staff are paid less than the other cabin crews in Portugal, as well as other easyJet staff in other countries. SNPVAC also claimed issues with planning and staff shortages which has led the crew to be pressured into working overtime. While the potential of over 500 flights being axed in October is a worrying issue for the airline and travellers, the union stresses that the Christmas strike could be even worse, reported the Daily Record. During the festive season, airlines usually operate fuller schedules. As such, this could result in greater disruption to easyJet's operations if flights from the three airports are shut down. Sharing its stance on the strikes, a spokesperson from easyJet told The Sun: "We are extremely disappointed that SNPVAC is planning strike actions despite our willingness to continue a constructive dialogue. "We had just started a conciliation process through the mediation of DGERT with the aim to reach an agreement to meet our employees’ requests and protect the sustainability of easyJet business in Portugal. "The current union demands are unworkable especially given that our crew are already paid significantly above the Portuguese national average." They added: "We are doing everything we can to minimize the impact of the strike on our customers including actioning some cancellations in advance to allow our customers to rearrange their travel plans." The Mirror has contacted easyJet for comment.