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Ryanair accuses pilot union of having no mandate, demands strike be called off

Ryanair has had a troubled relationship with unions in the past, and only recently recognised unions.

IRISH BUDGET AIRLINE Ryanair has accused the pilot union Fórsa of not having a mandate, after it announced a strike by Irish Ryanair pilots scheduled for next Thursday.

Fórsa balloted its Irish Ryanair pilot members on whether to take industrial action, and said that 99% of its members agreed they should.

They said that the dispute was over management’s approach to transferring pilots between its European and African bases. It is seeking an agreement that would govern base transfer arrangements and related matters.

In a statement issued today, Ryanair called on the union to cancel the Irish pilots strike, saying that it had no mandate as it only represents 94 of Ryanair’s over 350 Irish pilots.

“This is a quorum of just 27%, and significantly less than one third of Ryanair’s pilots,” a statement said.

Pilot mandate Ryanair Ryanair

It called on union representatives to meet to discuss proposals on seniority and base transfers on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday this week.

It also raised concerns around the involvement of Aer Lingus pilots in organising the Ryanair pilots strike, saying that they had notified the DAA last June that there would be strikes in July and August (this was before the ballot earlier this week).

 

“Ryanair’s irish pilots will be concerned that the people organising this strike are Aer Lingus pilots when Aer Lingus will be the direct beneficiary of any disruptions to Ryanair customers next Thursday.”

As previously report by Forathe airline has struggled to cut a deal with Dublin-based pilots after announcing its intention to recognise trade unions in December last year.

Yesterday, it was announced that Ryanair cabin crews in Portugal, Italy, Spain and Belgium will stage 24-hour strikes on 25 July and one in Portugal, Spain and Belgium on 26 July.

The strikes are being called based on “economic conditions, safety and rostering, a fair and supportive work culture, agency employment, the right to sick pay and sales targets”.

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32 Comments
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    Mute Luke Barrett
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    Jul 6th 2018, 6:25 PM

    Because demanding unions to call off strikes in the past has worked wonderfully……

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    Mute Walt Jabsco
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    Jul 6th 2018, 6:51 PM

    @Luke Barrett:
    Awww, give them a break – they don’t have much experience of dealing with unions…
    They’d better learn fast though!

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    Mute Paul Furey
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    Jul 6th 2018, 10:20 PM

    Way to go Ryanair :) that should do it

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    Mute Ronaldo Blanc
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    Jul 6th 2018, 7:05 PM

    I am delighted Ryanair employees are not taking anymore nonsense from management. Its not a sustainable business model in the long term, attempting to expand a business while having lousy labour relations. Chickens coming home to roast.

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    Mute Vin
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    Jul 6th 2018, 7:07 PM

    @Ronaldo Blanc: I was always under the impression they took on and trained more inexperienced crew, who then moved on to airlines who paid better.

    If they provide an entry level opportunity for people thats not necessarily a bad business model.

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    Mute I'm not wavy gravy
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    Jul 6th 2018, 7:16 PM

    @Ronaldo Blanc: Chickens coming home to roast haha.

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    Mute Dave Byrne
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    Jul 6th 2018, 7:37 PM

    @Vin: What they have done over the years is take on inexperienced flight crew (Cadets) these boys& girls would then have to pay for their interview and sim assessment.
    And if successful they would be offered a position as a cadet which would require them to pay Ryanair 30k to get the type rating.
    After a successful completion of the course they would be offered a position at one of the airlines bases, Along with setting up as a contractor (Self employed ) here they would only get paid for the hours flown not from the time of check in etc.
    Irish lads wanted to work out off Dub but were based all the UK and Europe, And lads from the UK would be based in Dub and they were not allowed to swop.

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    Mute Ronaldo Blanc
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    Jul 6th 2018, 9:15 PM

    @I’m not wavy gravy: Haha sorry roost!!!

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    Mute Ruth Colbert
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    Jul 6th 2018, 8:05 PM

    ‘Clients do not come first, employees do. If you take care of your employees they will take care of the clients” Richard Branson

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    Mute Paul Furey
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    Jul 6th 2018, 10:23 PM

    @Ruth Colbert: And so says most other successful business men or women.

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    Mute Mairtin Cathbhar
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    Jul 6th 2018, 7:08 PM

    I am generally no fan of unions, but Ryanair management philosophy is shareholder first, customer and employee are contemptible.

    Terrible brand.

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    Mute Seamus Murphy
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    Jul 6th 2018, 7:36 PM

    @Mairtin Cathbhar: In 1989 my wife flew from London to Dublin one way. The ticket cost £140. Nowadays it’d be €25. That’s what Ryanair has done for air travel. Now the unions want to destroy it like they destroy any other company they get their teeth into. I think O’Leary is dead right.

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    Mute Ron O'Keefe
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    Jul 6th 2018, 7:42 PM

    @Seamus Murphy: So as long as you are paying cheap air fare, f**k employees rights to decent work conditions. Your attitude is exactly the monster neo liberalism at all costs as created; and why private sector workers have lost their rights. Well done you.

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    Mute John Ryan
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    Jul 6th 2018, 7:50 PM

    @Seamus Murphy: In 1989 a Motorola MicroTAC phone cost £3500. Some things get cheaper as technology/systems evolve. It’s cheaper to operate an airline these days than it was in the 1980′s so enough of the crap about Ryanair being some kind of savior. They just followed the model of Southwest Airlines in the states. The same year Ryanair went low cost EasyJet were launched so in essence Ryanair were just first past the post and EasyJet have recognized unions for years at this stage..

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    Mute 829nza
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    Jul 6th 2018, 7:52 PM

    @Seamus Murphy: Ryanair didn’t bring about cheaper travel, deregulation did.

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    Mute Shawn O'Ceallaghan
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    Jul 6th 2018, 8:36 PM

    @Mairtin Cathbhar: if you didnt knoe 99% of companies are always shareholders first.

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    Mute Nick Drake
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    Jul 6th 2018, 9:05 PM

    @Shawn O’Ceallaghan: Some of the most successful and trusted companies put the customer, the end user or the patient first, if nobody wants their products then no profits for shareholders. The Ryanair brand wouldn’t be for me but it obviously works for millions of passengers. If there are genuine concerns from employees they should engage and come to a resolution.

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    Mute Nick Drake
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    Jul 6th 2018, 9:06 PM

    @Ron O’Keefe: I work in the private sector, I don’t feel I have lost my rights. I’m lucky to work for a company who treats its employees very well indeed. Unions are not the end all and be all.

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    Mute Ron O'Keefe
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    Jul 6th 2018, 9:18 PM

    @Nick Drake: You are in a minority then; and lucky. But without a union, what you have can come to an end at any time; and you will have no recourse because you won’t have anyone fighting for your rights; because you have no rights. Unions are bad and unnecessary is a false meme that has been sold to the public in order to break unions, by the very companies and corporations that golden handshake our governments into making everyone believe this. Then ask yourself why public sector workers have unions. Why are they entitled to the very thing private sector workers are not entitled to at the expense of the private sector? Because private corporations do not employ the public sector, that’s why.

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    Mute Seamus Murphy
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    Jul 6th 2018, 10:50 PM

    @Ron O’Keefe: Jeez, sorry! I completely forgot Ryanair is a registered charity!

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    Mute joe
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    Jul 6th 2018, 11:15 PM

    @Ron O’Keefe: lol. How wrong you are. Unions are a completely outdated concept. If the pilots believe they are worth more then go get the job that pays more. If not put up and shut up!!

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    Mute Ronaldo Blanc
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    Jul 7th 2018, 12:48 AM

    @joe: Yeah a real sensible argument. Try telling a person on a zero hour contract, unions are an outdated concept. Unions are essential.

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    Mute Brian
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    Jul 6th 2018, 7:58 PM

    Ryanair have demands and people think they are putting gun to the head of employees. Well what exactly is a strike threat. Absolute joke. Ryanair are no angels but Unions are an absolute scourge to everything they get their hooks into.

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    Mute Seamus Murphy
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    Jul 6th 2018, 10:50 PM

    @Brian: I couldn’t agree more!

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    Mute Chris
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    Jul 6th 2018, 11:25 PM

    Wonder how many of these 350 pilots does Mr. O’Leary actually employ, and how many of them are actually in atypical bogus self-employment contracts.
    The man is up there with Trump for his ability to tell the truth.

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    Mute Cranky
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    Jul 6th 2018, 9:03 PM

    Unions have destroyed our country. Homeless people don’t pay union dues so nothing happens. The people who benefited most are the union employees who are on a Maximum Wage. They care less about the rest of society.

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    Mute Ron O'Keefe
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    Jul 6th 2018, 9:43 PM

    @Cranky: If homeless people that are working, which there are many, had unions, they might not be homeless in the first place. And if homeless people who lost their jobs had unions, they might not have lost their jobs.
    You are confusing public and private sector unions. I don’t begrudge anyone in the public sector their union. What I begrudge is the fact that the public sector are entitled to unions, but the private sector isn’t. This is backward when you consider that the public sector is made up of public servants who work for the public at the public’s expense. This is why it is called the civil service and not the private service.

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    Mute Jointheclubtoo
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    Jul 6th 2018, 11:16 PM

    @Cranky: Mindless drivel. Read alittle history.

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    Mute Ronaldo Blanc
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    Jul 7th 2018, 12:51 AM

    @Cranky: I take it you have had a few pints tonight. Only a drunkard or an imbecile could come out with such stupidly.

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    Mute Dave Walsh
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    Jul 6th 2018, 7:40 PM

    There is a balance,but its usually at a cost,management pride.

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    Mute Jimmy Carroll
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    Jul 7th 2018, 12:36 AM

    They would wouldn’t they! Michael row the boat ashore

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    Mute Margaret Kane
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    Jul 7th 2018, 12:57 PM

    I would walk before I’d fly with Ryanair i hate their attitude

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