A Spanish court ruled a former Ryanair pilot should have been considered an employee rather than an independent contractor.

Under Spanish law, a contractor does not enjoy the same workers’ rights as an employee and this means that Ryanair would not have to contribute to a contractor’s social security payments.

Though the ruling can be appealed, the case could open up doors for other former pilots to seek employment lawsuits against airlines such as Ryanair.

According to Reuters, the former pilot’s lawyer said he is preparing new lawsuits for other Ryanair pilots for allegedly violating Spanish labour and tax laws.  The Spanish pilots’ union Sepla filed a collective lawsuit in the High Court against the company over contracts in early August.

The case is considered a setback for Ryanair in its fight to avoid Europe-wide strikes over workers’ conditions. Ryanair faces a 24-hour strike by cabin crews in Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain on 28 September over labour agreements. Unions aim to repeat the strikes once a month.

In a statement, Ryanair told Reuters, “We have asked our lawyers to appeal this sentence immediately.”