A Spanish High Court judge ruled in March that an agreement over salaries between the union CCOO and Ryanair last year was not valid after rival union USO contested it in January. Now Irish airline Ryanair has asked some flight attendants in Spain to pay back thousands of euros in raises they have received since last year as part of the union deal later struck down in court.

CCOO later reached a limited deal with the company that covered only its own members and not those of USO, which had originally wanted a different agreement and was not part of the deal.

In April the airline sent an email to its cabin crews unionised with USO asking them to reimburse the accumulated raise they earned via the agreement and lowering their salaries to the level prior to the 2024 raise unless they switch to CCOO, according to documents seen by Reuters.

The human resource official who signed the letter sent to some of the Spanish employees did not respond to a request for comment.

A spokesperson for Ryanair said that the company was complying with the court case that USO filed to cut pay while it was under appeal.

Reuters reported that a unionised cabin crew member, who requested anonymity due to fears of reprisals, said the company asked him in April to repay €3,857 ($6,032) and cut his monthly salary.

He said his salary depends on the number of hours he flies, but is generally close to the minimum wage in Spain, which stands at 1,184 euros per month.

The employee said he was among dozens who were asked to pay back thousands of euros to the company and that many have already done so.

Ryanair and other low-cost airlines have gained huge market shares in the region by charging rock-bottom prices to passengers, achieved through bare-bone service and salaries much lower than legacy airlines used to pay.

Workers in Ryanair across Europe have gone on strike a number of times over the past years demanding higher pay and better working conditions.

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