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MEP hopeful says she will report poster vandalism to gardaí

Lorraine Higgins’s posters were defaced with the message ‘Pro Abort’.

LORRAINE HIGGINS SAYS she will report the defacement of two of her election posters with abortion graffiti to the gardaí.

The Labour senator, who is running for the European Parliament in Midlands North-West, said that one of her posters was stolen while two others were defaced with the slogan ‘Pro Abort’ in Leixlip and Maynooth.

“This is wilful criminal damage and dirty tricks and I am going to report it to the gardaí,” she told TheJournal.ie this lunchtime.

“I hope they take action in order to deter others. If people want to argue they should do it in a democratic way. This goes against everything that political discourse should be.” 

The two defaced posters refer to the Labour party’s support of the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill last year and long-standing support for the legalisation of abortion in certain circumstances including fatal foetal abnormalities.

Higgins said that the graffiti had been carried out by people who are “against this government who introduced legislation based on outcome of the X case”. 

She said that she was happy to debate the issue, but not in such a “distasteful” way.

Higgins said that in reporting the matter to gardaí she hopes that those responsible will “realise fully the repercussions for defacing and defaming”. 

The candidate added that a number of her posters have been removed around from areas around the vast, 15-county constituency and later replaced with other candidates’ posters, describing this is as the “usual dirty tricks in a campaign”.

Meanwhile, another Labour poster was defaced with this message in Cork earlier today:

Read: 7 things we learned from last night’s Midlands North-West Prime Time debate

Read: Labour facing Euro wipeout, as latest polls show support collapse

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95 Comments
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    Mute Pat Patovic
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    Aug 10th 2018, 6:39 AM

    Do not like your work conditions? Find another job. Nobody is forcing anyone to work there. This all was started by one-quarter of Irish pilots who wanted “seniority” who wanted to be able to pick routes and bases themselves instead of doing what the manager told them to do.

    Hang tight, Michael. Never give up. Do not yield to communists.

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    Mute James Brady
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    Aug 10th 2018, 7:07 AM

    @Pat Patovic: While I applaud your optimism, the unions will no doubt maintain their resolve. Bear in mind that a lot of those pilots are reduced to a 4 day weekend, and have to find a way to feed themselves and their families on €175,000 p.a.
    Imagine trying to get by on only €15,000 a month?

    84
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    Mute Martin Critten
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    Aug 10th 2018, 7:09 AM

    @Pat Patovic: Think we all know the story now about Ryan Airs cavalier attitude to those who are the bedrock of its customer service. It is possible to run a successful operation without O’Leary’s combative approach. Chickens coming home to roost and long overdue. And yes other airlines are happy to take up the slack. Ryan Air will face into a shortage of pilots if it isn’t already.

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    Mute Greeneyes17
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    Aug 10th 2018, 9:29 AM

    @Pat Patovic: clueless pat!! It’s 25% of Irish pilots because the rest as contracted pilots- therefore they don’t have a Ryanair contract. But they all 100% back the other pilots! Don’t comment if u don’t have a clue what ur talking about

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    Mute Paul Furey
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    Aug 10th 2018, 9:33 AM

    @Pat Patovic: So you’re saying all these people is all those countries are wrong? They all seem to have valid reasons.

    18
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    Mute Pat Patovic
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    Aug 10th 2018, 9:35 AM

    @Greeneyes17: Semantics. Fact is that they are bullying company into accepting that their job will be untouchable. They think that few years of service grants them some right to say what they will be doing and what not.
    Do not like your job? Find another one.
    Do they think they can run the airline better? Go ahead and build one.

    10
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    Mute Pat Patovic
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    Aug 10th 2018, 9:45 AM

    @Paul Furey: Yeah it always seems so. 50k of the customers also do have a valid reason to travel and can’t because of them.

    8
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    Mute Greeneyes17
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    Aug 10th 2018, 10:03 AM

    @Pat Patovic: they aren’t looking for anything that isint in other airlines…. most of them will move on anyway. It’s only a stepping stone airline as nobody would put up with their tactics and bad management & bad culture & a team who are unhappy in their job. Don’t forget that the whole quoting 25% of Irish pilots is because 75% of them are contracted to Ryanair not directly employed by them. So all the pilots are in support but they can’t do anything about striking as they are not directly employed by Ryanair.

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    Mute Pat Patovic
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    Aug 10th 2018, 11:40 AM

    @Greeneyes17: Since when you have to do things which other companies do? Every company follow their own strategy and vision. It worked extremely well for Ryanair until wannabe communists got involved.
    Not to mention that most of “other airlines” you are happy to copy work conditions and perks are operating at a loss.

    4
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    Mute gpurcell
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    Aug 10th 2018, 7:09 AM

    If I was in charge of Ryanair
    Sack all pilots & cabin crew who strike & if they wished to be employed again
    By Ryanair it wilful day be on a contract basis

    As per the norm… Union’s once again strangles companies that are doing well or making money
    Unions have been the death of many companies in Ireland especially

    58
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    Mute Chris
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    Aug 10th 2018, 8:52 AM

    @gpurcell: Good thing for the shareholders you’re not in charge so.

    42
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    Mute Brendan Greene
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    Aug 10th 2018, 9:17 AM

    @gpurcell: don’t know anything about employment law obviously.

    35
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    Mute James Brady
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    Aug 10th 2018, 6:16 AM

    Good ole unions, ruining holidays and bringing misery to all!

    111
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    Mute Gearoid Mag Lennain
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    Aug 10th 2018, 6:37 AM

    @James Brady: blame lies squarely with Ryanair for avoiding basic rights to their employees such as applying local laws to crew! Something that the European court recently ruled. This is years in the making it didn’t happen overnight.

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    Mute Seán Domhnall O'Sullivan
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    Aug 10th 2018, 7:04 AM

    @James Brady: unions as ever getting the blame.when being in a union makes u far less vulnerable. Anyway its not their fault ,this is the fault of ryanair treating employees like no frills customers – with comparatively poor conditions .

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    Mute Martin Lintzgy
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    Aug 10th 2018, 8:17 AM

    @Gearoid Mag Lennain:
    Agree, blame management for allowing unions into Ryanair.
    Up until Ryanair allowed unions, you could depend on ryanair for reliability and punctuality.

    19
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    Mute Martin Lintzgy
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    Aug 10th 2018, 8:22 AM

    @Seán Domhnall O’Sullivan:
    My holiday plans next week are definitely NOT LESS vulnerable

    3
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    Mute Gearoid Mag Lennain
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    Aug 10th 2018, 8:23 AM

    @Martin Lintzgy: unions didn’t get into Ryanair, their workers got together to look for help in improving their conditions and sought the unions help.

    Big old bad unions(rolling my eyes to heaven)

    24
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    Mute Alan Carmody
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    Aug 10th 2018, 8:54 AM

    @James Brady: good ole trolly morons. Ruining the comment section for all

    7
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    Mute Chris
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    Aug 10th 2018, 8:42 AM

    Believe it or not the pilots and cabin crew that are striking want Ryanair to succeed, they’ve watched thousands of their colleagues leave to better employers over the past number of years, but they believe in a lot of what Ryanair does. They are the hardest working in the business, they just want to be treated fairly by their employer.
    Shareholders forced Ryanair Management into the always getting better for customers, it’s only a matter time before they recognise that this needs to extend to the way they treat their staff as well, if Ryanair get this right I believe they will be unstoppable.
    You’ll still get your cheap flights, and maybe there’ll be a content happy staff providing the service.
    As Forbes put it, O’Leary took the perfected model of Southwest Airlines, and changed it.

    43
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    Mute Pat Patovic
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    Aug 10th 2018, 9:15 AM

    @Chris: No.
    It was started by one-quarter of pilots based in Dublin which is one of the smaller Ryanair hubs. It is just a few disgruntled employees who think that working a few years give them some extra leverage. They are calling for “seniority” they do not care about other Ryanair employees, they are fighting to make their positions untouchable with policies like last in first out. They are bullies who think they can hold company ransom to get extra perks.

    18
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    Mute Quiggers
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    Aug 10th 2018, 9:21 AM

    @Pat Patovic: no Pat it didn’t. clearly you haven’t got a clue. you just blow on with same propaganda Ryanair come out with. you clearly lack or ignore information from the other side of this story

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    Mute Chris
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    Aug 10th 2018, 9:23 AM

    @Pat Patovic: Sorry Pat, but you have been sucked into the Ryanair propaganda machine. Only 25% of the pilots operating in the Dublin base are employed by Ryanair, the rest are stuck on bogus self employment contracts so are legally unable to strike. The majority of the 75% of remaining pilots fully support their colleagues.

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    Mute Quiggers
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    Aug 10th 2018, 9:24 AM

    @Chris: exactly

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    Mute Pat Patovic
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    Aug 10th 2018, 9:31 AM

    @Chris: Nobody is forcing them to work if they do not like work conditions. There is no problem to find a work if you are experienced pilot. My argument still stands. They are bullying company and clients to ensure their job is untouchable.

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    Mute Greeneyes17
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    Aug 10th 2018, 9:32 AM

    @Pat Patovic: will you ever stop ur nonsense Pat. You literally don’t have a clue, it’s embarrassing

    24
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    Mute Greeneyes17
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    Aug 10th 2018, 9:32 AM

    @Pat Patovic: will you ever stop ur nonsense Pat. You literally don’t have a clue, it’s embarrassing

    18
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    Mute Greeneyes17
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    Aug 10th 2018, 9:32 AM

    @Pat Patovic: will you ever stop ur nonsense Pat. You literally don’t have a clue, it’s embarrassing

    18
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    Mute Greeneyes17
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    Aug 10th 2018, 9:32 AM

    @Pat Patovic: will you ever stop ur nonsense Pat. You literally don’t have a clue, it’s embarrassing

    17
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    Mute Greeneyes17
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    Aug 10th 2018, 9:34 AM

    @Pat Patovic: yes exactly that’s why loads of them went to Norwegian and wow air…… so I know what I’m talking about. You, unfortunately, don’t have a bulls. They are still right to stand up for their rights as professional highly responsible individuals

    16
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    Mute Chris
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    Aug 10th 2018, 9:45 AM

    @Pat Patovic: What’s better so, a couple of strikes to try and improve their medieval working conditions, or they quit as you say and the whole airline folds because they don’t have the pilots to fly their aircraft.
    Theses pilots have been significant stakeholders in the building of the airline to what it is today. They have every right to fight for change. Especially after watching the crew shortage crisis that management created last Christmas by doing nothing to improve the conditions of the 1000s of pilots that have been leaving in their droves.

    18
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    Mute Pat Patovic
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    Aug 10th 2018, 9:58 AM

    @Chris: 1000s of pilots left and 1000s of pilots joined. What are you talking about? It is not their company so either they do the job as required or they can leave. Nobody is forcing them to stay there. They own nothing there and are paid for their work. Simple.

    6
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    Mute Gareth Cooney
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    Aug 10th 2018, 10:33 AM

    @Pat Patovic: I worked in a company where a portion of the staff enjoyed ‘Seniority’ in the form of Last in, First out which was implemented as a result of strikes.

    As soon as LIFO was practiced their militant union drove their wages up sky high by holding the company to ransom. This caused huge unrest with the other workers so soon they followed suit.
    Work levels deteriorated but staff could not be changed nor relocated nor dismissed. Soon the company costs were so high that it became non competitive. Eventually the company had to close and everyone lost their job. ‘Even the union closed its doors soon after. Twas a pity, a 3rd generation family run business, gone.
    The militant union encouraged the workers to kill the goose that lasted the golden egg.

    11
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    Mute Pat Patovic
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    Aug 10th 2018, 11:36 AM

    @Gareth Cooney: That is precisely what is happening here. Some people want to cement their job and do not care about anything else. They do not realize or care that they are biting the hand which feeds them. As in customers who will move on to other airlines. Then these clowns will have to join another airline and enjoy LIFO in real life.

    6
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    Mute Gareth Cooney
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    Aug 10th 2018, 1:01 PM

    @Pat Patovic: I noticed a common trait between the union officials, the shop stewards and a lot of the LIFO workers, most of them lived hand to mouth. They didn’t care about the hand that fed them in the slightest.

    3
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    Mute Termaz Fx
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    Aug 10th 2018, 7:31 AM

    So what is the difference between
    “I am sorry mr bank client, but I have to take you as a hostage because the bank refuses to give me money”
    And
    “I am sorry mr holiday maker, but I have to take your holidays as a hostage because I dont like the contract I signed” ?

    28
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    Mute Martin Lintzgy
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    Aug 10th 2018, 8:14 AM

    Ryanair up to now has been a great irish success story we all should be proud of.
    When a company has a great buisnesses model that has been working for 25 years, to go and change it is crazy.
    Allowing the trade unions to manage the company will only mean one thing. Higher fares and travel disruption.
    And of course, aer lingus will follow suit.
    Bad desicion, Michael, bad decision.

    24
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    Mute arnaas
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    Aug 10th 2018, 7:05 AM

    How is it only 55,000 affected? If its 1000 flights and they run at 97% capacity would it not mean around 180000 passengers are affected?

    21
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    Mute gpurcell
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    Aug 10th 2018, 7:10 AM

    If I was in charge of Ryanair
    Sack all pilots & cabin crew who strike & if they wished to be employed again
    By Ryanair it wilful day be on a contract basis

    As per the norm… Union’s once again strangles companies that are doing well or making money
    Union’ s have been the death of many companies in Ireland especially

    21
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    Mute Nick Caffrey
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    Aug 10th 2018, 8:09 AM

    @gpurcell: Viva il duce!

    12
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    Mute Quiggers
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    Aug 10th 2018, 9:22 AM

    @gpurcell:

    2
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    Mute Dominic Leleu
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    Aug 10th 2018, 7:27 AM

    We should have a consumer union too.

    16
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    Mute Shaun Gallagher
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    Aug 10th 2018, 7:02 AM

    These strikes are saving Ryanair a fortune with fuel costs and so on. This could be a long drawn out saga

    8
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    Mute Andy O'B
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    Aug 10th 2018, 7:24 AM

    @Shaun Gallagher: Ryanair make a lot of money. Do you really think they lose money on their flights in the middle of Summer?

    I don’t think this is cost saving!

    12
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    Mute Shaun Gallagher
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    Aug 10th 2018, 7:51 AM

    @Andy O’B: yes but all these flights are already paid for and with no compensation to be paid(as it’s not Ryanair’s fault) they are happy out

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    Mute Ger Ni Chionnaith
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    Aug 10th 2018, 8:33 AM

    @Shaun Gallagher: Ryanair refuse to pay out if it is an extenuating circumstance such as the weather but a strike (while not a decision made by Ryanair) is actually something they need to at least refund to the customer. If they refuse, the customer brings it higher to the Aviation Authority. Some customers are also entitled to compensation by completing an EU261 form.

    10
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    Mute Shaun Gallagher
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    Aug 10th 2018, 11:09 AM

    @Ger Ni Chionnaith: Good enough. Was just listening to the reports that Ryanair said that they didn’t have to pay

    1
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    Mute Lottie Skinner
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    Aug 10th 2018, 8:06 AM

    Jumped up glorified “BUS Drivers” sack them all.

    17
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    Mute Greeneyes17
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    Aug 10th 2018, 10:05 AM

    @Lottie Skinner: hahahaha what do u do Lottie? I’m sure it’s a highly responsible well paid job! Not

    14
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    Mute Lottie Skinner
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    Aug 10th 2018, 11:36 AM

    @Greeneyes17:
    I run my own business and employ 10 people for whom I am responsible.
    I work an average of 60 hrs per week… And you ?

    6
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    Mute Philip Duffy
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    Aug 10th 2018, 8:21 AM

    Was there this much disruption when Ryanair cancelled flights during the Roster fiasco?

    6
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    Mute PV Nevin
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    Aug 10th 2018, 1:22 PM

    Ryanair staff can unite powerfully across national boundaries and take the fight to Ryanair. The unions are stopping that happening.
    The unions and their role:
    Quote, from USA.
    “…..65. The true function of the unions was spelled out by union lawyers in oral arguments in the Supreme Court case of Janus v. AFSCME on the constitutionality of “agency fees,” which require workers in public-sector unions in some states to pay the equivalent of union dues, even if they do not belong to a union. David Frederick, representing AFSCME Council 31 in Illinois, stated: “The key thing that has been bargained for in this contract for agency fees is a limitation on striking. And that is true in many collective bargaining agreements.” Fredrick continued: “The fees are the tradeoff. Union security is the tradeoff for no strikes.” If the court makes the decision to overturn prior precedent allowing states to mandate agency fees, he warned, “you can raise an untold specter of labor unrest throughout the country.”
    66. The nature of the trade unions is manifest in the corruption scandal that has engulfed the United Auto Workers, concerning the payment by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) executives of more than $1.5 million to UAW officials involved in contract negotiations. In exchange for these payouts, the UAW pushed through, by means of intimidation and fraud, contracts that abolished the eight-hour day, halved the wages for a new class of “second-tier” workers, and expanded the number of temporary part-time workers who pay union dues but have no rights.
    67. The character of the unions is rooted, fundamentally, not only in the corruption of individual leaders, but in the nature of the organizations themselves and changes in the structure of world economy. The nationalist and pro-capitalist unions reacted to the rise of globalized production and the crisis and decline of US capitalism by abandoning the struggle for even limited gains. The union apparatus integrated itself ever more directly into the framework of corporate management, with the proliferation of union-management partnerships that ensured a continued increase in the income of the union executives, even as membership in the organizations declined and the wages and benefits of workers collapsed. …….”

    2
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