Dear colleagues,

On 13/08, BeCA and CNE/ACV attended a meeting with Ryanair HR in Brussels.

RYR management first started with an update on the financial and commercial situations and their intentions regarding Belgian bases. They confirmed that the Boeing MAX made the forecasts complicated, but that no decrease in the number of aircraft was expected for the 2019-2020 winter season in Belgium. They also confirmed that there was no plan so far to reduce staff (cabin and cockpit), neither in CRL nor in BRU.

As the meeting agenda was set before Ryanair announced downsizing and base closure plans in EU, we then covered payroll and CLA implementation problems, sick leave procedures and disciplinary procedures and respect of Belgian Labour legislation.

Labour legislation: We went through some example of day-to-day irregularities in the application of Belgian Labour rules. Management admitted they were still in a learning process and that some persons you could have on the phone and/or via queries were not yet updated on Belgian labour laws. See also the box below.

Application of the Payroll & Salary CLA: we insisted on the need for clear and transparent payslips, especially about flown hours details. According to Ryanair, a new pay slip system should be in place by October 1 to better understand the payments, along with an explanatory document to better understand figures and abbreviations. From BeCA and CNE/ACV side, we insisted that a dedicated person should be in charge of payroll queries as it is the case in most companies in Belgium.

Sickness procedures in case of illness: we reminded Management of the Belgian rules, which prohibit them from claiming the reasons for illness and from intervening to put pressure on the healing process or the moment they should return to work. The only right for the employer in Belgium is to check the reality of a medical situation by a control doctor. In case of a visit by a “control doctor” requested by the company, confidentiality is maintained and Ryanair won’t be informed of the details of your sickness. As far as certificates are concerned, they must be sent within 48 hours, according to Belgian law. BeCA insisted that emails from managers with content in opposition to these basic principles were unacceptable and could be easily fought legally. If you are still threatened by this kind of e-mail or messages, you must inform BeCA of the situation.

Disciplinary meetings: we have insisted that workers have no obligation to report to Dublin for these meetings and that Managers in charge of the procedure should be familiar with and apply Belgian Labour Legislation. Moreover, RYR employees have the right to be supported by a union delegate, planned for this meeting as duty and not in her/his time off. Belgian law allows workers not to go abroad for disciplinary proceedings. Moreover, for a disciplinary procedure to be legal, it must be provided for in an official document (a specific CLA, which does not exist for the time being).

Pilot holidays procedure: Management presented their “ABC” proposal for rotating holidays system between 3 pilot groups over 3 years to replace the “month off” current system. BeCA raised some questions for clarification and on Belgian law compliance. Ryanair will come back asap with an updated version of their “ABC”. It was made clear that any new proposal will be first evaluated by the RYR company council with the help of the FTL/rostering BeCA specialists and will afterwards be negotiated before being finally submitted to pilots for consultation by a vote of all pilots based in Belgium.

Social election: Unions & BeCA insisted that a regular 2019-2020 meeting calendar should be scheduled to actively address living issues instead of exchanging heated letters between BeCA/CNE-ACV and RYR. After the May 2020 Social Elections, a minimum of one meeting a month will be foreseen by law anyway, but outstanding daily issues have already to be rapidly clarified and sorted out.

Best regards,

Your BeCA Ryanair Coordination Team