EasyJet Offices Raided by French Police
 

The Times: EasyJet's offices raided by French police

A 40-strong team of gendarmes and inspectors raided easyJet's base at Orly Airport outside Paris yesterday as part of an inquiry into allegations that the low-cost airline is infringing French employment legislation.

The raid came amid claims that its 130 pilots, stewards and air hostesses based at Orly should have French and not British work contracts. French prosecutors said they were gathering evidence before deciding whether to open a full-scale investigation for “illegal employment practices”.

EasyJet, which flies from Orly to Italy, Spain, Switzerland and Germany, as well as to the French provinces, said that it is respecting European law. It added that because its aircraft are registered in the UK, British labour legislation applies to staff.

A judicial source said tax and social security inspectors had taken part in the surprise raid alongside gendarmes and work inspectors. EasyJet’s pilots and flight personnel were questioned as witnesses. The operation was ordered by the State Prosecution office. “If we consider that the airline is based permanently in France, then French law should apply to its staff,” said Bernard Thouvenot, vice-prosecutor. He criticised easyJet’s British management for failing to meet inspectors.

A preliminary inquiry was launched in January amid complaints from French airlines that low-cost competitors enjoyed an unfair advantage by using UK labour laws. According to the French General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAC), airlines such as easyJet and Ryanair would face a 4 per cent increase in the cost of their operations in France if they moved their staff on to French contracts. Ryanair employs about 60 personnel in Marseilles.

The directorate said the airlines could offset the cost by raising ticket prices by an average of €2 (£1.34).

French employment legislation provides a high level of protection against dismissal and access to France’s generous welfare system.

A spokesman for easyJet said: “We are convinced that we are fully in accordance with European law, which supersedes French law.”

A spokesman for easyJet said: “We are convinced that we are fully in accordance with European law, which supersedes French law.”

Since when has the frogs bothered with EC law. They do it their own way and to hell with the rules.

How convenient!
Just when Air France is launching its own low cost sub.

Yeah but Air France was chartering CityJet with Irish contracts for years,without being so touchy about the rules...as said above,they are preparing the field for their incoming low cost,Transavia.com (60% Air France-40% KLM),with B737 to start with,and by 2009 with A320...little by little,this fundamentally anti-democratic company will have get rid of all concurrence on their territory,sh@tt@ng on all established rules...more than 5000 french airmen/women have lost theirs jobs due to that,and I guess, now it will be much more difficult for them to find one on their homeland,they will be too expensive...This is unfair...:ugh: :=

Just how much of an unfair advantage is 2 euro's per ticket!!!

Ryanair lost in Charleroi:

• Regulation 44/2001 on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters.
• Convention on the Law Applicable to Contractual Obligations (Rome 1980)

Not much to do with the police raid itself, but I thought I'd share my conversation with the refueller at CDG yesterday. I was impressed he had been trained in switch flicking, so he went on to explain that switch-flicking-training was only part of the story. They were not happy having to stand on the ladder whilst their feet got cold, so they went on strike to get warmer shoes (honest). He then looked at my coat and commented that it did not look warm enough and that EZY pilots should go on strike unless they got better ones. When I told him I had to pay for the coat myself, he nearly fainted :) Got to love 'em...

P

Perma....I guess he probably has less debt to contend with than you? and probably didnt have to go via the TRSS or buy a type rating insert hose rating :) etc...(not a dig at anyone..merely an observation)

My goodness, you are an observant soul. Why don't you check out the thread on easyJet offices in Paris being raided!

Why raid the offices? What did they think they were going to find? Wouldn't it have been a little more "mature" to contact the airline and outline their, probably groundless, concerns?

This smacks of the typical attitude of $od everyone else - we're going to do just as we please. As Taffman said, since when have the French listened to or obeyed anyone.

If you have a grievance, fine - take the appropriate action, not action that totally screws everyone else. Ports, ATC, sheep, beef - the list goes on. I'd love to know how much Europe Plc has lost over the years due to unilateral French action.

Air France is a dinosaur - protected by the Government. Level playing field - my ar$e. Perhaps one day the EC will actually apply the rules instead of just turning a blind eye, otherwise what the hell are we all paying for?

Rant over :mad:

A4 :yuk:

Right A4. I suppose you have ample evidence to support your accusations, and are willing and able to produce such. Or is it just an impression you got?

Well said that man - I get many such complaints in an EU but non-aviation related arena, and when you ask for evidence it tends to be of the 'Well I read it in the Daily **** so it must be true!' variety...

If you for one minute expect the French to respect any rules not instigated by "Le France", dream on ( or for clarification ask Greenpeace ). The motto ere eez, if you can't beat em screw zem. This does not surprise me one little bit, and to quote Leo Hairy Camel I suspect, is why the French consumer has been denied access to low cost air travel for so long. Think of the Ryanair debacle over Strasbourg, where they were taken to court after court until Air Frog got what they wanted, and you will see that any low cost venture that gets in Air France's way is doomed. This has nothing to do with worker protection and everything to do with protecting the state - prefered dinosaur.To suggest otherwise is a great insult to anyone who has even the loosest understanding of the French way of doing things.The next stage I imagine will be daily visits on the ramp from the DGAC or some other likewise unimaginative attempt to put a spanner in the works.Vive le Republic.

zed3 ..... Brit ..... having lived 'in Europe' for 37 years ..... had enough impressions , we are all what we are and to mix into one pot does NOT work . It's all going to end in tears and quite probably , basically , due to a French attitude , amongst others , anyway . Nothing against you lot but we are what we are and the politicians (are) and want to be the winners and take all . It's a game , expensive one at that , without consequenses for those who are playing - the politicians . It's not the players lose but the payers lose !

The easyJet French General Manager was detained overnight and interviewed at length. This guy is not responsible for hiring staff or setting employment conditions and contracts. Looks like intimidation to me.

New starters employed at the Madrid base are on Spanish contracts. Interesting that this is the only EZY base not on an UK contract. Anything to do with Spanish employment law being less strict than the UK or France?

And a captain threatened to be jailed for not speaking french...

and it's personnel for future reference :)

If I was RYR MRS based , and not a little further South, I would be watching my back very carefully. Always said, for a long long time ,that a French base would end in tears. Forget EEC , or any other law, in France there is ONLY French law, all the rest is just window dressing.

Instead of debating the merits of the French actions based on factual information, such as EU regulations or directives or French national law, it has turned into a cacophony of Francophobia. There is nothing unusual about that, I might add.

The post by dusk2dawn seems to have been overlooked by all. Not unintentionally perhaps? Could he possibly have an inconvenient point? Have you tried to find out, or is just naturally assumed that Easyjet are right and the French wrong?

Do you even know the difference between an EU regulation and directive or how they apply to national law? Do you know what percentage of EU regulations and directives have been transposed into national law in France - thus becoming de facto French law - compared to other EU nations?
I should think the answer would be no, you don't know. (Are you busy Googling now;) )

Can't remember off hand the difference between a Directive or a Regulation, but my understanding is that both supercede any national law.