Ryanair launches legal action against pilots' union
 

Ryanair today confirmed it had initiated High Court proceedings against the Irish Airline Pilots’ Union (IALPA).

Ryanair accused IALPA of a campaign of harassment and intimidation of Ryanair pilots.

This “REPA” (Ryanair European Pilot Association) website has been a conduit for an organised campaign of harassment and intimidation of Ryanair pilots who have considered taking up positions on Ryanair’s new 737-800 series aircraft to be based here in Dublin later this year.


Confirming the details of these High Court proceedings today, Ryanair’s Director of Personnel, Eddie Wilson said: “High Court proceedings have been initiated and will be pursued until we identify those individuals making these threats."

http://www.sbpost.ie/breakingnews/br...z8&n=133884482

No wonder MOL's miffed. That's his job:rolleyes:

Ryanair have IALPA in the high court??
 

Just heard on RTE website Ryanair are taking IALPA to high court over intimidation???
Seemingly yer man Wilson is claiming criminal activity or something here's the headline!

Ryanair has begun court proceedings against The Irish Airline Pilots Associations (IALPA) in an effort to stop what it says is an organised campaign of harassment and intimidation being conducted through a Web site.

Ryanair's Director of Personnel, Eddie Wilson said they would not allow their staff to become the victims of an organised campaign of intimidation.

What is going on lads ?

I presume this is spin !
same old shlte or has the blood rushed to the head?

Here the link folks

Something stinks?

already old "News" :bored:

Edit -- topics now merged -- thanks for providing the link in the meantime...McD

While we're on the subject of harassment and intimidation, I'm sure the latest memo issued to the Dublin lads and lasses regarding the latest dirty tricks campaign falls under the above as well.

No, not at all FlyingIrishman. Don't you see that this is all about "the rules of the game"? These are:

Rule 1. We can do what we want (partly because nobody ever stands up to us).

Rule 2. WE must be measured against our standards (which are pretty low).

Rule 3. Others must adhere to high standards (the ones to which we claim we adhere, at least for public relations purposes).

Thus it is that a company that systematically bullies and intimidates feels itself wronged by people who just stand up for their entitlements and agreements. Their response is an excellent example of the belief that attack is the best form of defense.

However, they may have bitten off a bit more that they expect here. There are going to be a few more highly interesting weeks in all of this!

Remember, lads, High Court proceedings in Dublin could easily run into figures of about 60,000 euro per day. O'Leary and the gang could string you out there for ages and is IALPA up for that both in terms of spirit and cash?

these are very dangerous times for IALPA as MO'L is out to make IALPA insolvent and drag the Aer Lingus members into the dispute who at any rate are funding the spat in the high court as the majority subscribers to the union. This is MO'Ls way of union ridding by taking IALPA to court and hurting them financially.

Now the word "intimidation" is brought to court.

I can't wait for the first Ryanair staff, or group of staff, taking Ryanair to Court for intimidation. And would there be enough to point out, or what !!!

And would there be a lot of money at hand as well !

Thai boxing : don't wait until the next hit. Just hit, hit, and hit again ! You want a fight, well get it then ! I like this kind of philosophy when applied to this type of case.

So MOL has started a hi stake POKER game! :cool:

I have heard it alleged (note the words carefully Michael) that the President of IALPA recently received threatening anonymous phone calls - at home - warning him to 'stay out of Ryanairs business, or else'.
Threats and intimidation? By whom?

pot calling kettle black
 

the masters of intimidation think we are all at it.how pathetic are these ryanair bully boys?
ryanair further cuts pilots terms and conditions in attempt to dissuade pilots from continuing with labour court action.

Gloves Off.
 

Well, you get what you pay for, don't you....and in the case of REPA that's nothing with a capitol N.

Looks like we've bitten off more than we can chew, boys. Hard ball was written by MOL.

Leo.:sad:

Eddie Wilson is quoted in the Irish Indo that pilots work a "legally capped maximum of 18 hours a week"

Hard to win when the media unquestionly publish pure and utter lies as if it were fact.

There is clearly no end O'Leary is prerpared to go to to ruin the profession of airline pilot, so good luck lads, we all need it.

leo hairy-camel? i think i smell manmentage!!

Which court is it being held in and when? This is one occaision I would buy a Ryanair ticket, talking of which who are selling tickets for this comedy show and where can you get them from. I need a good laugh after 4 years in a LOCO.:D

This may be a hair off the subject, but Ryanair is running newspaper and internet ads in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia for cabin crew.

You personally pay EUR 750.00 for the course and if you pass, your monthly salary will be EUR 1,500. No chance of pay raises mentioned. The tickler is that you could be based anywhere Ryanair flies.

At last word, people are lining up by the dozens.

Leo hairy management stooge. Go away.

For what it is worth, your remark is correct, but you're not a pilot. YOU have bitten off more than you can chew - but you are management, are you not?

The reason the mad mullingar mucker is so beside himself with anger is that he is in a corner. And the only thing he knows to do when he is in a corner is to strike out. But the repertoire of responses - verbal bullying, various combinations of legal intimidation, threatening retribution, delivering retribution, etc - are well understood now.

This time he will be fought. And he will be beaten. Just wait until yourself and the two other Ryanair street fighters get their day in court. Has it never dawned on you people that such a day will come? You behave as if there never can be such a day (like the memo published yesterday for us all to read).

You need more imagination (and some legal advice). Don't take it from me, ask the legal eagles. After all, I am told that one of you was even named in the recent Dublin Labour Court document. My sources tell me that this is, well, unusual.

Will the mad mullingar mucker be around to save you when push comes to shove? Don't forget that you must never give evidence that implicates the great man. It would be best if you just implicate yourself. Cleaner all round.

Holy Shit!!
 

this was just e-mailed to me....
even i am now feeling slightly vunerable by posting it.. but hey its only a rumour right?

RYANAIR MEMO

TO: All Dublin Pilots.

DATE: 16th February 2005.

FROM: David O'Brien.

IALPA and IMPACT recently made a case to the Labour Court - allegedly on behalf of all of the Dublin pilots - in which they made a number of extraordinary claims. Regrettably, the Labour Court in its decision appears to have accepted some of these submissions even though they carry a number of negative consequences for Dublin pilots.

In their efforts to claim that the Dublin pilots have no means of negotiating with the airline, IALPA claimed that the Dublin Pilot ERC was not in a position to negotiate on pay and conditions for the Dublin pilots, that the 2000 five year pay, benefits and share options agreement wasn't a valid agreement, and that the secret ballot organised by KPMG was somehow flawed. Despite the fact that the 2000 agreement was negotiated by and delivered for Dublin pilots, the highest pay increases, the best rosters and the most valuable share options in any European airline, it's validity has now been undermined.

We dispute these submissions - some are factually inaccurate - and will shortly challenge the Labour Court's findings in the High Court. We believe that the five year pay agreement was properly negotiated between consenting adults (i.e. the Dublin pilots and Ryanair) and the benefits that accrued to Ryanair's pilots should continue. However because IALPA and IMPACT have persuaded the Labour Court that no agreement exists, then our Dublin pilots must forego its benefits. While we await the decision of the High Court it is clear that the benefits of the 2000 five year pay, benefits and share options agreement must be frozen as follows:

1. There will be no 3% pay increase for the Dublin Base pilots in April this year.
2. The IR£100,000 worth of share options which presently have an individual value of over €170,000
will not be granted to Dublin Base pilots when exercisable by all other pilots at the end of 2005.
3. We will examine whether the substantive increase in sector pay introduced in April 2001 at the start
of this agreement should now be unwound, revised and/or repaid by Dublin pilots.

We regret that the misguided actions of IALPA and IMPACT have questioned the validity of the Dublin pilots five year pay agreement. This only applies to the Dublin Base, and we will continue to honour the terms of the other Base agreements which have not been so questioned.

We will keep you advised of further developments and you can rest assured that when we overturn this flawed Labour Court decision we will restart direct negotiations on pay and conditions with our Dublin Base pilots without the interference of trade unions who so far have only succeeded in losing you this years 3% pay increase and share options with a current value of €170,000.

Yours sincerely,
David O’Brien
Director of Flight & Ground Operations

Too right Delwy. MOL has learned at his bosses knee...the REAL boss, Tony Ryan.
Ryan ran GPA like his personal fiefdom, even his most capable managers lived in mortal fear of his violent outbursts and humiliating verbal abuse at management meetings. He's a legend.

MOL just carries on the same tradition. Lower management turds like Leo piss themselves in his presence. No doubt they believe that by emulating his style they can weasel some respect for themselves.
Pathetic, isn't it?

Trouble is, when push comes to shove, Leo and his mateys are just grist in the mill, like the rest of the slaves. Ultimately disposable.
Ryan lost control of GPA through that very same arrogance. Of course you have to recognise his comeback, but since he's learned nothing from his previous experience, the same thing could happen again.

There's an election in the offing over here. The incumbent government had their worst defeat in electoral history at last years by-elections. Since then the PM has been a lot more 'understanding' toward the unions (witness the sudden and ingnominious dismissal of our hero Willy Walsh). Meanwhile MOL continues to taunt and embarrass Bertie in the media over T2 at DAP. Methinks the chickens are all coming home to roost.
MOL is about to find out why it just doesn't pay to piss on the pols.

As to that Memo...the phoney war is over...let battle commence.
About time too.

Wow!

I'm not a Ryan Air pilot, but that is a really unpleasant email. Full to the brim with malice.

Ladies, Gentlemen: Good Luck.

Chuffer.

Todays Irish Independant


A RYANAIR pilot has been granted a temporary injunction by the High Court restraining the company from conducting disciplinary proceedings against him before February 28 - the date of the next court hearing about the dispute.

John Goss, Yellow Walls Road, Malahide, Co Dublin, had obtained a temporary court order on Wednesday and when the matter was mentioned in court yesterday, Ms Justice Mary Finlay Geoghegan adjourned the matter until February 28 when told that Ryanair wished to reply to Goss's claims.

John Goss, in an affidavit, said he had been a Ryanair employee since 1986 and claimed his terms and conditions of employment had been amended a number of times and in a manner that was unclear.

He was now unsure as to precisely what his terms and conditions were.

Ryanair had declined to recognise trade unions on the basis of a policy to deal directly with their employees which he found unsatisfactory. He joined the Irish Airline Pilots' Association (IALPA), a branch of the Impact union, which he instructed to seek negotiations on a number of matters of concern.

Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary declined to enter into such negotiations and IMPACT had referred the dispute to the Labour Relations Commission.

Goss alleged that on November 4 2004 he and other Dublin pilots were asked by Ryanair to attend a meeting at which they were threatened that if the trade union activities did not cease they would be excluded from any pay increase, excluded from Ryanair's share option scheme and from promotion, and that insurance for loss of pilot's licence would be cancelled.

In December Ryanair attempted to subject him to a disciplinary procedure which, he said, had failed to adhere to the principles of fair procedures.

He believed Ryanair was attempting to make him a scapegoat to illustrate to other employees the consequences of making a complaint to the rights commissioner and attempting to compel Ryanair to engage in collective bargaining.

He feared the company would use the proceedings to terminate his employment and discourage other pilots' support for the IMPACT claim.

John Maddock

Good for you Captain Goss, you've got backbone.:ok:

If money is needed to fight a court case, I'd be happy to see it provided by BALPA. If that can't be done, maybe a chance for us all to make donations would be the way to go?

If IALPA and IMPACT have convinced the Labour Court that no agreement is in place then should RYR still have to honour the terms i.e. 3% pay increase, share option and increased sector pay ?

Dont shoot me down the ? means its a question I have presented and not my own point of view.


OA

How about setting up a fighting fund for REPA if needed? Their success is vital for all of us in the industry, not just Ryanair pilots.

That e-mail is full of threat, malice and intimidation. Nice way to treat your staff. I'm so glad I don't work there. Good luck all that do.

The short answer is - when working for a company like this they will honour nothing if you don't fight for it.

Yes I totally agree however it would seem you already had this until IMPACT & IALPA said it wasnt agreed.


OA

If there's any requirements for fund-raising for court expenditures, please let me know, I'd be glad to give out.

I have a bad feeling that poor Capt. Goss will end up in the same position as Capt. Duffy in 2001, for those that remember him. The court order seems a step in the right direction though.

Best of luck John

I don't know anything about the agreement but...

I thought options had to be granted at the market value on the date they are granted or they become taxable? It sounds like a very tax inefficient scheme but perhaps Irish tax rules are different.

Where?
 

How do supporters of the "slaves" subscribe to the fighting fund? It's about time the O'Leary had a proper fight!

:}

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let us hope and pray that the the Irish Judiciary and Learned Wigs finallly and swiftly arrive at the overdue fair and just determination in this case and bar from future recrimination, harassment, intimidation and bullying

I'm confident Capt.Goss knows very well what is at stake and has made his decision in that light. Its my fervent hope that this does indeed get as far as a full hearing and judgement, the previously mentioned case ended on the steps of the court rather than in Chambers. O'Leary needs a kick in the arse with the full weight of the Law behind it.

What Capt.Goss needs is our support, and the support of IALPA/BALPA in his fight. :ok:

Capt. Goss,

"...the attainment of a position of responsibility and leadership demands above all character and courage."

Good luck!

ozi?
 

Where would that pesky Ms Turret be now to serve up a load of tripe about the wonders of working for fr?:p :rolleyes:

Something about the chickens coming home to roost seems appropriate. :E

Good luck to you all, its about time the shameless, appaling treatment is dealt with. To all you youngsters considering a quick fix option for your careers, consider very carefully the type of company you may join.

Nosey

Let's just put the threats, intimidation and legal aspects to one side for a moment. While all this is going on, it will invariably effect lots of people and the way they perform on a daily basis. We are all human at the end of the day, and certain things raise stress levels to different levels in different people.

My question is this. How does all this affect crews during a "normal" day of operation (if there is such a thing at FR). Surely their performance and responce times could be affected ? If so, can this mental and physical abuse that is going on lead towards a potential flight safety issue ? No doubt MOL wouldn't care as to how his crews are feeling, but he would have second thoughts when taking a look at a B737 sitting off the end of the runway - one with a harp on the tail !!

Worth a thought !

Oh, and I'd guess that Leo Hairy-Camel and Ms Turret are one and the same.

That should be a valid point VIKING9.

Unfortunately, my experience of UK aviation management and regulatory authorities says otherwise.

As long as they can't be prosecuted or blamed for an accident, there seems little interest in worrying about potential causes due to the basic physical state of pilots (eg decent sleep patterns and nourishment), let alone their emotional state.

The excuse "Pilot error" after an accident conceals a multitude of sins by a multitude of the involved parties.


I suspect that MOL is getting excellent sleep (to a circadian rhythm, too).

"no greater sacrifice hath man than to give up what he has for his brethern".not a quote the top men at ryanair will be familiar with.i admire john goss for his outstanding leadership and let us not forget that he has a wife and kids who are also feeling the pain.what thought does mick the snake give them.john is a man of huge principle and is the kind of guy that we all in ryanair should aspire to be and not like the base captains we have with no backbone whatsoever. i wish you the best john.you have won your battle by standing and being counted when it mattered.hold your head high!