Travel-loving union boss behind flight misery for millions of holidaymakers this summer
A BEER-swilling Portuguese firebrand is among the union bosses ramping up travel misery for millions of holidaymakers this summer.
Union chief Ricardo Penarróias has posted scores of online pictures of himself knocking back the pints at holiday hotspots all over the world.
But few Britons will be raising a glass to him on holiday this summer after his National Union of Civil Aviation Flight Personnel was blamed for 350 easyJet cancellations last week.
Union president Penarróias announced his third strike since the beginning of the year to thrash out a new labour deal for 2023 to 2035.
His industrial action has led to the axe for hundreds of flights to or from Lisbon, Porto and Faro — the equivalent of 69 per cent of all booked.
The union said in a statement: “We will not accept the company continuing to perpetuate its regime of maximum profitability and minimum wages.
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“The strike could have been avoided if the company wanted to.”
But Penarróias’s strikes have not curbed his own global pleasure trips.
He has been photographed wearing a pointed hat and clutching four jugs of beer at the Oktoberfest in Munich as well as enjoying a glass in Berlin, Tel Aviv, Boston, New York, Miami and Barcelona.
The bearded and tattooed union baron has also been snapped grinning beside Portuguese soccer boss Jose Mourinho on a plane.
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Meanwhile, French airspace controllers are also ramping up the holiday hell — despite working only a four-day week and retiring in their 50s.
Their campaign for even cushier working conditions is spearheaded by Charles-André Quesnel, leader of the hardline Civil Aviation Trade Union.
Cello player and keen rambler Quesnel regularly triggers walkouts — even though his union represents less than 20 per cent of France’s 3,000 air traffic controllers.
A French industry insider said: ‘Air traffic controllers are among the most militant strikers in France.
“They know they can ruin the travel plans of millions, and cause economic chaos whenever they want. This is a very powerful weapon.”
Quesnel’s comrades are fighting to preserve pension deals that allow them to retire in their 50s and enjoy a 32-hour working week with salaries of up to £100,000-a-year.
More than 3,500 flights have been cancelled because of strikes in France in the first quarter of 2023.
