Trade unions representing Ryanair staff in five European countries have agreed to join strike action on September 28th.

The strike was announced at a press conference in Brussels this afternoon.

Unions have warned that the strike will be the ‘biggest the airline has ever seen’ – and have insisted that it will cause “travel chaos” for the airline across Europe.

However, Ryanair has rejected what it calls the "false" claims saying it expects the "overwhelming majority" of its services to operate as normal.

Yves Lambot, a spokesperson for the Belgian CNE union told Newstalk that cabin crew Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands have agreed to join the action.

Meanwhile, Ryanair pilots based in Italy are also getting involved.

Mr Lambot said the group is hopeful Ryanair staff in Germany – who held a 24-hour strike yesterday – will also strike.

Unions believe the action will force the airline to cancel around 80% of its flights from Belgium’s Charleroi airport and all of its flights from Brussels airport - with only a small number of services able to operate in the other four countries. 

"Little disruption"

In a statement ahead of the meeting however, Ryanair rejected the claim - insisting that in the seven days of strikes it has already faced this summer there has been "little disruption and absolutely no 'chaos.'” 

It said it completed 280 of its 300 scheduled flights on each of the five days of strikes held by pilots based in Ireland earlier this year.

Pointing to yesterday's strike in Germany meanwhile, the airline said it completed 250 of its 400 scheduled flights - with affected passengers informed in advance and either accommodated or refunded.

"Unfounded"

Spokesperson Kenny Jacobs said: “Repeated false claims made by these unions about 'travel chaos' have proven to be unfounded."

He said that, if the September 28th strikes do go ahead, "Ryanair will pre-advise customers of a small number of flight cancellations and the overwhelming majority of Ryanair’s flights and services that day will operate as normal."

The unions have told the airline that they are willing to reconsider the plans if the airline announces changes to its employment model at its next AGM on September 20th.

Union representatives are attending a meeting at the European Commission this afternoon to discuss the case.

Demands

Unions are calling for Ryanair employment contracts to be subject to the labour laws of the country in which the employees are working.

They are also calling for workers to be subject to the same terms and conditions – regardless of whether they are directly contracted or subcontracted.