Reality not Idealism needed
Been at Fr for quite a few years now and am a Euro based skipper. The actual job aint that bad and is better than my previous. the 5/4 is great. But's that's as far as it goes.
There has, will again and always be an insiduous deteriation in terms by management and ONLY unionisation can prevent it.
The hardest part, is the reality that many like me have kids and mortgages and whilst fully paid up union members, we will be fired if found to be trying to organise any form of resistance to the absolute rule of MOL. Do the majority want change ...yes
You would have to work in ryanair though to understand the way it works, it is more akin to a tinpot dicatorship. The secret police (fellow travellers) are strategically placed and will report back. You have to suss out who you are speaking to. Plenty of I'm allrights, so that's all that matters.
The other significant difficulties, company induced fragmentation aside, are you are dealing with a management team who will say or do anthing and explore any possible legal action (to stall) any assault on their iron grip.
You are trying to win in game of cards and beat the dealer who holds all the money, will stick cards up the sleeve, use cameras and others to sneak a look at your cards and will refuse to pay even if you do win. They don't play by any rules they make them up and change them as they go along.
And like most tinpot dictatorships any dissent will be tried by kangaroo court and met with execution of duties.
As for the comment on getting the public onside, if you havn't noticed already, any negative press Ryanair receive is always met with the challenge by MOL to allow him a live debate. where he will as he has before will paint pilots as overpaid premadonnas who only work 18 hours per week and all have yachts. (he's done it before).
The truth is that most captains, myself included, only get half of our salary as basic the rest is sector payments. the only ever increase given is on basic only so if it is 3% that is only 1.5% on total. Since I joined in 2001. I had all benefits, Loss of Lic, medicals, pensions, car parking, crew drinks, HOTAC, summarily removed. Sector times fiddled and then when the give you inflation payrise onhalf your salary and give back pension, whilst cutting F/O's pay they window dress it as a rise that the Pilots "happy to negotiate directly" have negotiated.
Our pay against rising inflation has been going backwards for years. Any suggestion to the contrary is not true, though unless that untruth is legally challenged the painted perception will sit there.
Ryanair pilots are not happy that the companies direct dealing is dictation that can be changed at will, regardless of contract and challenges meet with hounding.
If you are not a member of a union, why not, they may not be perfect but they are a million times better than being continually shafted.
P.S I predict here that within 18 months the allowance and/or pension will be unilaterally removed unless you do the only thing you do.
JOIN A UNION AND PROTECT YOUR CAREER AND FAMILIES FUTURE