The Dutch Employee Insurance Agency (UWV) has prohibited Ryanair (FR, Dublin International) from firing 31 staff members employed at the carrier's former base at Eindhoven. The agency ordered the LCC to either reopen the base or continue paying staff as if they were employed normally.
"This decision by the Dutch labour authority is a vindication of our campaign to clean up Ryanair’s labour practices. It shows that there are consequences to violating workers’ fundamental rights," Gabriel Mocho Rodriguez, International Transport Workers' Federation civil aviation secretary said.
The Irish Times reported that the airline is likely to appeal the ruling in a Dutch court. UWV has jurisdiction over labour disputes in the Netherlands but its verdicts are subject to judicial appeal.
The labour unions have been protesting the closure of the Eindhoven base since Ryanair announced this decision in early October 2018. The LCC said it was closing its bases at Eindhoven and Bremen Hans Koschnick due to economic factors, although the unions have alleged that the move was in retaliation for the wave of 2018 strikes.
The airline offered 16 pilots and 15 cabin crew members employed at Eindhoven an option to relocate to other bases or face redundancy.
So far, all staff members based at Eindhoven have continued to receive salaries from Ryanair.
The base closed on November 5, although Ryanair continues to operate 126 weekly departures from Eindhoven using aircraft and crew based elsewhere.
