Union strength and redundancy packages
The previous post questioned the worth of a union to the 1500 people being made redundant at Aer Lingus. Well the strength of the unions at Aer Lingus would be well known to management. Also, there would have been political pressure given that Aer Lingus is a semi state body and that a majority of the workforce would reside in the same dublin constituency.
In Ireland, the legislation covering redundancy payments was the redundancy payments act, 1967-91. This provided as a legal minimum for half a weeks pay per year of service between 16 and 41years of age, and a further full weeks pay per year of service from age 41 to the date of dismissal. Not a great deal by any stretch of the imagination.
I am almost certain that this legislation was updated in the last 2-3years and now provides for a legal minimum payment of two weeks pay per year of service.
The worth of the union to the workers at Aer Lingus then was their ability to negotiate a redundancy payment in excess of the statutory minimum.
The package on offer provides for nine weeks pay per year of service up to a maximum of 130 weeks pay, and subject to a minimum payment of €40,000 euro.
This is much better than the statutory minimum. By having union recognition, the workers are better off. In the absence of a union, management would be legally entitled to impose the statutory minimum payments. By combining, the workers at Aer Lingus have benefitted.
I can't of course speak for Alitalia or any other carrier, because I'm not familiar with their situations, nor do i believe that unions are perfect. They can be inflexible and they can have their own agenda, but barring any ideological arguments the facts in the Aer Lingus case support the view that unionisation has benefitted those workers.
I would be inclined to believe that union recognition would benefit staff at Ryanair.