captcat

FRENCH COURT REJECTS EASYJET APPEAL OVER LABOUR CONTRACTS
Received Monday, 15 January 2007 16:18:00 GMT
PARIS, Jan 15, 2007 (AFP) - France's highest administrative court Monday rejected an appeal by British airline easyJet over a decree that requires its aircrews based at French airports to abide by French, not British, labour laws.
The Conseil d'Etat in Paris denied an emergency action by the low-cost airline to have the November decree suspended pending a verdict addressing the substance of the case.
There was "no serious doubt" about the legality of the decree and thus no need to order a stay or make a rapid decision on its substance, the judge ruled.
A final ruling was expected at an unspecified date in the next few months and will affect not only easyJet, which runs its French operations out of Orly airport south of Paris, but also Irish carrier Ryanair in the southern city of Marseille and Air France subsidiary Cityjet at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport.
EasyJet has argued that the decree contradicts the practice of putting an airline's employment obligations under the jurisdiction of the country of its headquarters rather than the country in which its staff operate.
It claims Orly airport is merely a "rest area" for its workers, with the planes their actual workplaces, and insisted on the international nature of its business.
The airline employs 130 people in France under British contracts.
Ryanair also began legal action on the same issue last month, and has complained to the European Commission over France's moves.
http://www.ttc.org/200701151618.l0fgiwo16492.htm

PS
Cityjet have already agreed on using the French laws for its personnell and didn't start legal action.

MyGalley.Fr

Thanks for the info !!!

MyGalley.Fr

But a little question : with my little knowledge, if things work out for us and we get "le chomage" , pension and other french social advantages, are we gonna get a salary cut in exchange ????

outofsynch

Or they could just sack all the french staff and nightstop UK crew....?

MyGalley.Fr

no they can t. The french base is sooooooo profitable for EZY. Just not possible.

flyblue

My understanding is that the whole issue is about the fact that the aircraft and personnell are based in France (in order to operate the profitable early morning flights), therefore subjet to French Labour Laws.

Quote:

Or they could just sack all the french staff and nightstop UK crew

I don't think this option would cost less than paying the personnell by French Law, but I stand to be corrected.

MyGalley.Fr

yes, but the whole thing is there, I think that EZY don t want to pay french taxes (salariales et patronales)....!!!!! But the french want for I don t know which reason.... Or may be to put some money back in la caisse de retraite de Air France

Turroncin

Of course they could give French ezy crew a similar contract to what they are offering Madrid base crew i.e. daily allowances, 6 sector days, only 2 names on staff travel, lower basic salary......

captcat

Let's put it this way: if you ran a business in UK, and some guy from another country came to open his own business competing with yours, would you think it fair that he had to pay taxes based on his country's cheaper laws, while you have to run your business in your country paying far more (and being thus less competitive)? And how would you feel as a worker, knowing that your neighbour is benefitting from a better treatment because he's subject to his land's laws, while you, working in the same land have a different set of laws (= worse working conditions).
Let's not forget that we are all at risk here: there's always some guy/business from a poorer land willing to work for less in our country. Where's the limit?

newton69

At the moment there is a lot a rumors flying about The French Tax is quite high so for the same salary we might get a massive pay cut.. Then again the social laws are much better ....if we can get access to them. The Pilots pension in France has a massive hole in it and part of the law forces us to join in But I am convinced we will never see any thing back. But like I said rumors I guess we will just have to wait and see....