Ryanair recently ordered some of their Spanish crew members to reimburse salary raises because they were “overpaid.” The airline has estimated the repayable amount could be up to €3,000 (£2,525) per employee. A court decision voided the airline’s prior pay deal with the Union Sindical Obrera (USO). As such, this decision came as a surprise.
The pay increase currently in dispute was first negotiated with the Spanish union CCOO. This agreement benefits every flight attendant, no matter what union they worked. After USO won its Federal District Court case in March, the court ruled the original pact void and unenforceable. As a result of this ruling, Ryanair reached out directly to USO to provide information to its members regarding their repayment responsibilities.
Ryanair has reportedly provided the flight attendants with the ability to pay back the excess paid to them over a 12-month period. Repayment will be carried out via deductions from their gross monthly salary. Expression of Interest Flight attendants should be able to retain the inflated wages they were awarded from October to March. That’s because the agreement remained legally binding at least through that time.
USO has expressed concerns regarding the situation. According to the union, none of its delegates have been asked to reimburse the excess funds. They noted that many of the non-aligned workers do not need to pay back the sum. That’s because of the unusual terms of their employment contracts—often referred to as ministry agreements.
“The money will be simply deducted from the payslip until the debt is paid.” – Union Sindical Obrera
Here’s how Ryanair has reacted to this surprising step. They pointed out that USO members are dismayed over the pay reductions resulting from the court ruling. The airline committed to providing clear, timely communication on the repayment process to all impacted Spain-based flight attendants.