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IT’S TURNING OUT to be an eventful day for Ryanair when it comes to industrial disputes across Europe, on both sides of the coin.
In France, the airline’s online petition against strikes by air traffic controllers (ATC) there has seen some success, with the proposed action for the rest of this week officially called off today.
Since 2009 there have been 39 days of strikes instigated by French ATC unions. Ryanair claims that the last such strike in France on 12 and 13 April this year forced European airlines to cancel over 3,600 flights, with 500,000 customers affected.
The budget carrier believes that the European Commission should remove the right to strike from all ATC unions across the continent.
Ryanair’s chief marketing officer Kenny Jacobs said in a statement this morning that it’s “unacceptable that Europe’s consumers repeatedly have their holiday and travel plans disrupted or cancelled by the selfish actions of ATC unions every summer”.
It’s time the Commission and Parliament took action to prevent Europe’s families and ordinary air travellers having their hard earned holidays or travel plans regularly disrupted by these ATC unions closing the skies over Europe.
If the EU won’t listen to the airlines, perhaps they’ll listen to Europe’s citizens.
Meanwhile in Denmark, the news was not quite so good for the airline as that country’s Labour Court ruled today that unions there can now strike against them.
The Arbejdsretten (Danish Labour Court) ruled that union members can be barred from doing work for Ryanair, meaning unions can essentially cripple the airline’s service in and out of Copenhagen Airport should they deem it necessary.
The ruling also states that unions have a right to demand a collective agreement with Ryanair, something the airline has consistently refused to countenance.
Previously, Ryanair’s commercial director David O’Brien told Danish radio that “it’s not a question of whether we are interested in bargaining; it’s simply not compatible with our business”.
Vice-chair of LO, the Danish Confederacy of Trade Unions, Lizette Risgaard told Danish tv station TV2 that she was “very happy” with the ruling, before telling her Twitter followers simply “we won!”
Ryanair’s industrial struggles in Denmark have been going on for some time. They had previously threatened to drop Copenhagen as a base should the courts rule in favour of the Danish unions.
Just last month, Copenhagen’s mayor banned 45,000 Danish civil staff from using the airline.
The low fares airline isn’t licked yet though – head of communications Robin Kiely says that Ryanair will immediately appeal the ruling.
“We have instructed our lawyers to immediately appeal this ruling, which appears to allow competitor airline unions to blockade Ryanair’s 1 based aircraft at Copenhagen, and we have also submitted a secondary claim to the Danish Labour Court,” Kiely said in a statement to Danish site TheLocal.
According to Kiely Ryanair will continue to operate its regular flights to Copenhagen, but using aircraft based outside Denmark.
Never a dull moment.
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The French ATC workers should not be Allowed to hold us to ransom, they’ve caused chaos in the past. French strikes have caused chaos in Calais recently too. There should be a euro wide ATC service and an end to ATC ruining holidays and costing businesses millions.
At least the French (and Germans, and Spanish, and Italians….well pretty much every other European country out there) has the balls to drop tools and protest when they are being royally shafted unlike us piss wimpy Irish who bend over and take it with glee!
I agree, but how many people are EU sceptics (including me) demanding return of soverinty, but when is covinient then people demans more integration, such as the example of an Euro ATC which would take control of our sovereign skies, which one is it, integration or back to the EEA?
No doubt the French Air Traffic Controllers take the pi$$ but if Mick in Ryanair had his way we would all be working for tuppence halfpenny an hour…
There must be a middle ground…
French ATC workers are extremely well paid and just flex their muscles every now and then…generally to get even more. Greedy people who don’t give a monkey’s for anyone else.
As for Danish civil servants being banned from using Ryanair…..presume that is forbbusiness, or does their employer dictate how they can spend their own cash?
Why dont they get bilderbergs to help squash the People’s rights to strike!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bobby, don’t be daft most EU states have legislation that prevents critical services from striking Spain, Germany, Italy and Ireland included!!
It makes sense that critical services are available
Unions wreaking Europe 24/7
The French in general are bad B******* 2when it comes to industrial relations with police standing idly by while fires rage on train tracks, lorries are invaded by foreign nationals and their government sit on their hands and do SFA frankly. It’s an annual beano insofar as the airlines are concerned but no one gives a toss . They need sorted out !
Michael forget those troublesome Danes go speak with Kim e yung of North Korea just opened a new airport and no fear of strikes there.
If it was not for strike then Employers would take advantage of employees.Already employees are being taken advantage of by employers because of the state of the economy.Everyone should have the right to strike and the French air traffic controllers have that right like anyone else.In France if the rail go on strike then the union tells the air traffic controllers to go on strike too on their behalf so it is not necessarily the Controllers on all those occasions with the issues
As for Michael O Leary he treats his own staff terribly yet people in Ireland think he’s great and admire his business ideas, yet those business ideas rids employees of any rights, treats them like s**t, pays them the lowest of what he can get away with while he has brought down flight costs he devalues the customers rights,and treats passengers like crap too
I agree.
Why doesn’t Michael publish the contracts and terms and conditions of these zero hour contract employees.
He’s great for shouting about the great terms and conditions of those who work for him but is very secretive about publishing the contracts.
Why the secrecy?
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