kuchemann carrots
Essentially ryanair want to get the pilots to agree a 4 year deal to reduce their pay. By agreeing to lock into a 4 year deal, there would be no come back within that timeframe to seek an improvement. This is all aimed at telling the Labour Court that the pilots agreed to the "onerous terms" (words of a High Court judge) at ryanair.
Basically the company want the pilots to agree to a sharp reduction in sector and accept basic salary increases that fall far short of any inflationary level ever recorded in the western world. The net effect is a substantial pay reduction, both from day 1 and over the lifetime of the deal. Other nuggets include reducing annual leave below the legal minimum (avoiding legal problems by naming days off as "annual leave").
The stuff on the ryanair website is a total fabrication. 20% pay rises have never been mentioned by the management at any propaganda meeting with the pilots. In fact, it was admitted by more than one management figure that the deal was in fact a pay reduction. They also admitted that there are "no guarantees".
Even if it was an actual, as opposed to fabricated, pay rise, ryanair have never ever honoured any pay agreement made with the pilots. This one will be no different, as there is no independent oversight. They could offer 500k basic to every pilot in the company but it would be totally meaningless as they NEVER EVER honour agreements, this can't be stated strongly enough.
They had a 5 year agreement from 2000 but that was ripped up in 2004. They had a 5 year agreement with LTN pilots from last year, which was ripped up this year. The list goes on. They are not to be trusted one inch.
A yes vote will be meaningless as they will simply renege on it in the near future. History has proven exactly that course of events.
The options are simple for ryanair pilots:
1) Reject deal: accept an immediate 2% pay rise, sector pay stays same, the Labour Court/RPA and BALPA option remains very much on the table and it will succeed (MOL himself said so in Dublin recently)*
2) Accept deal: accept a much lower take home due to sharply reduced sector pay. Watch inflation erode your basic. Watch ryanair arbitrarily further reduce your pay in the future (remember, they have ALWAYS done this). Close off your chance for a fair, equitable and legally enforced deal.
So lets recap in very simple terms:
Reject deal: your income increases slightly now and very substantially post-Labour Court.
Accept deal: you income reduces now and for the rest of your career.
FINALLY, GET OUT AND VOTE. ABSTENTION IS NOT A VOTE AGAINST. EVERY NO VOTE INCREASES YOUR STRENGTH AND IMPROVES YOUR PROSPECTS.
* - This is why they are so desperate for the 4 year deal as they have admitted they are gonna lose badly when we go to court and have BALPA in.