Ryanair loses appeal in Spain over pay cuts during pandemic

MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's Supreme Court has declared null and void changes to working conditions for Ryanair's local staff, including pay cuts and fewer rest days, which the airline implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic in July 2020.

The court dismissed an appeal by the Irish budget airline against a 2021 High Court ruling which struck down changes in contracts made in response to pandemic-induced global travel restrictions.

Its ruling was dated March 20 and made public on Monday.

It said there was no consultation period for the changes and cited "the company's failure to negotiate in good faith and to provide sufficient and necessary documentation".

Ryanair did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The changes to employees' working conditions included pay cuts of 10% for cabin crew and 20% for pilots, a reduction to two days of rest from three for every five days of work and the elimination of monthly productivity bonuses worth 150 euros ($162).

Trade union USO said it hoped the ruling would result in an immediate reversal of the work-to-rest ratios, adding it would claim back payment of the amounts owed for past wages.

"We're concerned about the strategy adopted by some companies, such as Ryanair, focused on violating the legal system to maximise operational capacity in the hope that court decisions will be handed down years after the fact," USO said in a statement.

($1 = 0.9237 euros)

(Reporting by David Latona; editing by Andrei Khalip and Jason Neely)