[/QUOTE I do have to say that this photo seemed like a blatant attempt to cause damage to the companies reputation.
.[/QUOTE]

I don't often reply in the rumours and news. However I have been following this post since the beginning as I had sort of a vested interest - I had a flight booked with Ryanair back in September. Having been on the receiving end of one of the strikes - the return flight was cancelled at short notice, potentially leaving me and my woman stranded in Germany - I feel the need to respond. Whilst the pic of the cabin crew pretending to be asleep on the floor may have been childish, I believe that Ryanair have done a great job already of damaging the company's reputation by the number of strikes that have already taken place. I for one will never fly with them again - and this was my first and last flight with them!

It is to be hoped that the thousands of other passengers who have had flights cancelled by them will feel the same way. Our return flight was to have taken place on a Wednesday but was cancelled on a Tuesday afternoon, around 2.30pm German time, but by the time we found out it was around 6pm. Ryanair were only able to offer another flight home on the Friday afternoon but we had to be home due to commitments on the day of the original return flight. Therefore we had to try and arrange a flight with another airline. By that time we were left with the dregs that nobody else wanted to pay for - We had to pay around 1200 Euros with Eurowings in business class to get home.

Ryanair would only refund the return part of the flight which amounted to a total of around £83.

My sympathies lie with the flight and cabin crew in this dispute.

So as I say, Ryanair themselves have damaged their own reputation.

I agree they damage their own reputation however they are the company, they are free to do whatever damage they want. Employees can't damage the reputation and get a free pass. If you wrote defamatory statements or posted pictures on Facebook etc. about whatever company you work for I am sure your company would take action. I do have sympathy for the crew who are legitimately trying to gain working conditions and job security, but as I said in an earlier post this is not a legitimate way to gain those things.

All of these incidents will definitely make it harder for the unions to do their job as the discussions on working conditions and pay can be side tracked to discuss these events, that will cause undue delay to those workers who quietly wait for better conditions. By all means have legal strikes, work to rule and don't give any leeway to the company but follow all of these in a professional manner. You never look good trying to make someone else look bad.

We are talking about Ryanair

The airline themselves, through their own repeated actions, set the moral bar in the gutter.

It is well known that employees have tried for years to improve conditions through 'legitimate' channels, only to be foiled at every turn through various connivances

So it is hardly surprising that that some choose to play the airline at its own game, with a union in full support it seems.

In my opinion Ryanair are just reaping what they have sowed

That is fine and if that will be the case then so be it. But if we bring everyone down to that level Ryanair will still be an undesirable place to work even with unionised conditions. I thought the recent strikes and negotiations were to raise the standard and not bring everyone down to the level where Ryanair operate. The unionisation of Ryanair was mostly due to its own failures and not the unions, the unions merely jumped at the opportunity when the company was weak. Most of Ryanairs employees want it to be something along the lines of other 'nicer to work for' airlines, by keeping everything in the gutter how do conditions improve?

German FAZ (very conservative) is reporting about Ryanair's sick policy and impounded 737 at Bordeaux.

Kranke Ryanair-Piloten müssen Kündigung fürchten

Well known but apparently "unbeknownst to investors"... hmmm I think I smell a Ryanair defence to that lawsuit "how could anyone NOT know that our business was built on our a:mad:holery". :E

It could be said that some people in positions of power see integrity as a weakness to be ruthlessly exploited. This is distasteful to most but it is unfortunately also reality.

If you come to a gunfight with a sword, you are going to loose, regardless how 'gentlemanly' your actions. So to win a dirty fight, I'm afraid you may have to play dirty. This can be as simple as exposing your opponent's dirty tactics for the world to see, through whatever underhand means are necessary.

It is however completely understandable that aircrew may find these concepts difficult to comprehend - it is, after all, a career based on obeying various rules. It is perhaps this culture of compliance that attracts so many sociopathic types into the corridors of airline management.

​​​​​​But seems some aircrew are waking up to the darker side of reality. You don't have to like it, just accept that it is something deeply unpleasant you have to deal with. No different to an inflight mechanical failure really.

Any news from the Eindhoven base? ECA are saying the EIN based pilots have been fired?

Germany
 

I was wondering if anyone knows if all German bases are now manned by Ryanair pilots as opposed to contractors?
There is a rumor that no contractors are floated in to German bases anymore.
If true this is very interesting.
It looks like the local Tax man and the local law man is slowly waking up and forcing RYR to follow rules and regulation!

Keep in mind,: RYR has the potential for becoming the European South West, with excellent conditions for flightcrew.
But if continuing in the direction it is going now they will have 460 aircraft and no pilots!

I think MOL has made a big gamble on some crises leading to hoards of people knocking on his door after bankruptcy etc.
Unfortunately for him a lot of the good FOs ready for upgrade are using that same door to evacuate to greener pasture.

I am probably wrong as I have been so many times before with RYR, but ca 29 days after the summer-season 2019 we will see.
When every Cpt is maxed out at 100hrs the last 28 days.
Anyway
Cod is in the fjord, gone fishing
Regards
Cpt B

I hope crews from other bases will support these crews. Next time it could happen to them.

And of course it is far more likely to happen to a small 4 aircraft base while pilots at the large 40 aircraft bases know that they are safe whatever action they call.

Old habits!
 

With regards to any T&C in RYR they are slowly getting better as fare as I can see.

BUT ,it is a bit disconcerting that pilots that called in sick with Dr Certificate during x- mass and new year weeks are summary called to HQ for meetings!
This I have from reliable sources and in my opinion is a bit counter productive!

Matt283.
Interesting indeed,,,,,,
Old habits was my headline.
I happen to know a few down on the Islands, lots of good people!
Time for Action!

Their gamble has failed completely, which is ulimately what was going to happen.

I can see this case taking years with appeal after appeal and all the time Ryanair will claim they have to be still employed by them.

That can be quite dangerous for the crew members involved. If Ryanair pay up now and then at some stage in the future Ryanair win an appeal the crew will face a very large bill. The money won this time around may be useless to them until all court dealings and appeals are completed.

Your "legal loophole" is just common practice. What you fail to recognize that this is a preliminary judgement. It is no more or less than an initial, short review of the case meant to prevent immediate irrevocable damages to one party. It's nothing more than a single judge, basically saying "RyanAir failed to demonstrate the business need for base closure at this time". The judge wrote:

Which translates to: "Ryanair failed to provide evidence to establish that the decision to close the base was made for financial reasons".

And this is the one item that makes or breaks the case. Earlier in the judgment, the judge acknowledged the freedom of the company to organize its business however it wants, as long as it is for financial reasons. The employees are stating that this is for retaliatory reasons, the company says it is not. If the company can establish that it was for financial reasons, that's part of doing business and the company is entitled to layoff all its local employees.

In other words: all that Ryanair has to do is to provide, during the "bodemprocedure", sufficient financial reasons for the closure of the base, and the case is gone. In fact, if they lose, the employees may be liable to refund Ryanair for all or part of the judgement collected with your "uitvoerbaar bij voorraad". Remember that a "kort geding" is a preliminary judgement of the case.

Being quite familiar with the Dutch legal system, my assessment is that Ryanair messed up bigtime by having amateurs handle this case. I'm sure that once they hire experienced local attorneys, they will get this case overturned in their favor. Again, all they have to establish is that the base is closed for financial reasons.

Which doesn't mean I think they aren't donkey butts. But mark my words, this is going to be the legal reality. I will link back to this post in 2-3 years from now.

If Pilots are clever they will seek a quick negotiated settlement, if not then they could remain as Ryanair employees for a couple of years, great salary but no right to fly with anybody else.

Ruling is one thing but final judgement is another after appeals. If any pilot becomes employed assumming court rules in their favour then Ryanair can claim they lost nothing.

Old rule is negotiate before going to court if you can negotiate it avoids the lawyers costs and a desire to leave it in court for years and I would fully expect appeals to go down that route.