MADRID — Irish low-cost airline Ryanair cancelled six flights in Spain on Monday as cabin crew began a new four-day strike over pay and working conditions, union officials said.

 

Coming at the peak summer tourist season, the new Ryanair stoppages only add problems to a sector struggling with rolling strikes staff at budget rival EasyJet which will resume this weekend.

 

Four of the Ryanair cancellations affected flights flying into or out of Barcelona, while the other two involved arrivals and departures from Palma de Mallorca, said one of the two unions which called the strike, the Union Sindical Obrera (USO).

 

Another 28 flights were delayed as of 9:00 am (07:00 GMT), it added in a statement.

 

Ryanair cabin crew in Spain staged a series of rolling strikes in June and July.

 

The USO and SITCPLA unions then called a third wave of 24-hour work stoppages from August 8 until January 7, 2023, arguing that Ryanair had refused "to engage in any dialogue".

 

The strikes will take place every week, from Monday to Thursday.

 

The unions say Ryanair is the only international company in Spain not to have a collective agreement.

 

The carrier, for its part, has said that the strikes have had little impact on its activity in Spain, where it operates more than 650 routes.

 

EasyJet pilots in Spain have since August 12 staged weekly three-day strikes to call for the reinstatement of conditions they enjoyed before the pandemic.

 

Their next work stoppage will start on Saturday.

 

The strike began just two weeks after the airline's cabin crew went on strike, resulting in a deal.

 

Meanwhile, cabin crew at Iberia Express, the low-cost arm of Spain's Iberia national carrier, are also expected to stage a 10-day strike from August 28 to September 6, the USO union has said.