Ryanair cabin crew work for as little as £3.75 an HOUR – and often do five hours unpaid overtime a day
The airline’s regulations only allow flight attendants to earn money when the plane is in the air, so groundwork like check in and aircraft cleaning goes unpaid
RYANAIR cabin crew are being paid as little as £3.75 an hour, and made to work up to five hours' unpaid overtime a day.
The airline’s work conditions mean that flight attendants only earn money when the plane is in the air - so all groundwork, like check-in and aircraft cleaning, goes unpaid.
According to a new investigation by the Mail, new cabin crew hired through third-person agencies only make £11,000 in their first year.
On top of that, they are allegedly asked to pay £2,150 towards their training and a £25 monthly fee for their uniforms in their first year.
Employees can also be paid as little as £3.75 an hour when they are on ‘airport standby days’.
On these days, staff work eight-hour shifts cleaning and selling tickets – but they are given just £30 for the shift.
The airline told the newspaper that the staff were paid above the minimum wage when these days are included with staff’s commission from sales on planes and their time in the air.
Staff who are hired directly with Ryanair – which employees estimate at 20 per cent of cabin crew - are given more favourable working conditions, but still only receive a basic annual salary of £9,616.
It is thought that the airline pays considerably less to its new recruits than other airlines in the UK, such as British Airways and EasyJet.
The news comes at a time when Ryanair pilots are already engaged in a battle with their employers concerning their rights.
Just yesterday, unions representing Ryanair pilots in Ireland and Portugal suspended plans to strike before Christmas after the airline agreed on Friday to recognise trade unions for the first time.
Ireland's Impact trade union and Portugal's SPAC announced the cancellation of 24-hour strikes due to take place on Wednesday after Ryanair agreed to recognise the unions as the representatives of pilots in the two countries.
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Italy's ANPAC on Friday also suspended plans to strike.
While the decision to recognise trade unions for the first time in Ryanair's 32-year history has averted the threat of strikes, the move rattled investors and its shares fell almost 9 per cent on Friday.
In addition to union recognition, pilot unions have been seeking an overhaul of the airline's system of contracts and collective bargaining.
Sun Online has contact Ryanair for a comment.