Ryanair Unionization
 

Now that ALPA is reportedly ready to help Ryanair form a union, I'm curious if anyone has seen anything up here on PPRUNE? I don't see anyone talking about it yet.

Jetwhine

I doubt that Ryanair wants any help in starting a union!

The pilots might like some help but it looks like most of them can't be bothered :ugh:

Ryanair
 

I didn't word that very well, did I?

I meant that the pilots and the union seem to be talking. If ever there was company management that will fight unionization to the death, I'm sure Ryanair would be at the top of the list.

That's why I thought this was such an interesting topic when I heard abou it yesterday.

Jetwhine

Are you talking about Ryan International Airlines of the USA or Ryanair Ltd of Ireland? I cannot see what on earth ALPA would have anything to do with an Irish airline.

Ryanair
 

I did indeed mean Ryanair the Irish carrier. But it's the BALPA that is reportedly helping them organize. My mistake.

Jetwhine

Best of luck to all the airline pilots associations with their efforts to unionise ryanair. And it will take an enormous amount of effort. Unfortunately there still exists a disappointing level of short sightedness and lack of cohones within a critical threshold of the pilot body.

I believe it is essential that ryanair pilots develop the organisational tools to threaten strike with credibility or if necessary, implement it.

To this people say:

'But ryanair as a company financially strong enough to absorb any length of strike action'

In fact O' Leary has said this himself quite publicly on a number of occasions. He has actually dared his pilots to go on strike! But as we all know well by now, the only time we can be sure he isn't telling a lie is when his mouth is closed. O' Leary says this continually for a reason: It is because he IS concerned about the potentially devasting effects of a strike.

Ryanair is like a shark in the sea: it has to keep moving forward to breathe. Low cost product and high rate of expansion mean that continuous operations are essential to ensure profit. Costs of simply keeping 100+ aircraft sitting on the tarmac for a few weeks are actually quite staggering.

But as Michael would say this is all a 'pipedream'. He might even believe it when he considers how successful his efforts have been to create a divided pilot body where many look only as far as medium term security for themselves or their familes.

But the extent of condecending abuse that many ryanair pilots idly accept from ryanair management, not only impacts themselves and their families. It also deprives the remaining majority within the company of well deserved conditions and respect.

Not only that but the apathy of ryanair pilots constituting the 'critical threshold' are affecting terms and conditions across many airlines. Managements all around europe are successfully re-negoting lower pilot salaries stating that it is vital in order to maintain competitiveness against strong performers like ryanair where the cost base is so low.

I'm aware that there are logistical problems to sustaining a union (or unions) within ryanair: i.e. the high rate of FO resignation for greener pastures - movement of pilots around bases to interrupt cohesion - contract pilots - effective communication in the presence of a highly ruthless management ... etc

All I can say is that I am hopeful and that I implore you to consider the responsibility you may wish to take for 'the career of the airline pilot'.

The Ryanair - IALPA CHICKENS banner at the top of the Pprune home page is duly noted. I was about to make a contribution to Pprune to register my username. I've changed my mind.

The Darkside approaches
 

CarbHeatIn I completely I agree with you. Danny and co I am disappointed you allowed it. I thought this was a forum for Professional Pilots to air their views(onesided and all as they often are), to be greeted on the home page by that banner headline from a company hell-bent on destroying this profession is more than I can accept. This is my last post.
Slan agus beannacht libh go leir! (goodbye and God bless you all)
Saint Patrick

There is only one word to describe Ryan Air's shameless mocking of pilots and our profession in that banner....


DISGUSTING.

And the same applies to whoever at pprune allowed it to be put on here. Sold, for the price of 350 quid.

Typical abuse of democracy by Ryanair. An example of the amorality linked to an unhealthy extreme of capitalism.

Of course PPrune disappoint, but ironically, the whole thing strengthens resolve.

On a day when our profession is brought into the spotlight in a positive light for a change it is simply disgusting that the owners of this website will accept money to display a banner like this on the homepage. Sky news are plugging this site all day and will more than likely have many new non aviation observers checking in on it for the first time.
To be met with a banner like that regardless of your opinion on unions is nothing short of a complete mockery by this company of all in our profession. And the biggest mockers of all are the owners of this website who allow something like this to be displayed. It makes me sick. :mad::mad::mad::mad:

What angers me the most is that in no way is this banner advertising which might benefit their business.
What do Ryan Air gain from putting it on here apart from gloating about their "victory".

This banner can only be interpreted as a calculated and planned effort to insult and mock.

Why oh why are their pilots so spineless that they allow these kinds of things to happen. A simple strike is all it would need to :mad: them over good and proper.

As for pprune allowing this banner to be posted, shame on you.

Agreed. Scumair has reached lower than low!

it may well be expected from Ryanair but what the hell is pprune doing having that kind of propoganda on its website, it is not advertising but a pure and simple piss take.

sort it out pprune

I am a Ryanair pilot and I regularly have to endure vicious anti-pilot association propaganda from the people who call themselves managers in Ryanair (including on the internal ops website Crewdock). I am appalled to see PPrune allowing itself to be used as a public platform for the same poison by misuse of its banner adverts.

The banner for me is the final straw. If their own pilots are too spineless to stand up to them, someone else is going to have to.

Wonderboy's comments of

"Not only that but the apathy of ryanair pilots constituting the 'critical threshold' are affecting terms and conditions across many airlines. Managements all around europe are successfully re-negoting lower pilot salaries stating that it is vital in order to maintain competitiveness against strong performers like ryanair where the cost base is so low. "

are very worrying indeed. I seroiously believe that if they continue their seemingly un-stoppable march to a) be the biggest airline in Europe and b) to devalue and errode the terms and conditions of their pilots it can only mean bad news for all of us. The 40, maybe 30 grand jet captain will become the norm. As someone who has only just recently entered this profession I did not get into this game to earn 40 grand a year as my top career earnings.

So how can we bring this disgusting company down?

I can think of many ways, unfortunaltely most of them would see me end up in jail for many years.

This latest anti pilot diatribe from fr management is a sure and certain indication that the truth posted here on pprune about ryanairs' management,hurts them to the bone.One thing you learn working in ryanair is to look immediatly beyond the obvious.What they do and say often indicates more about their state of mind etc,that what they are actually saying.Knowing the egomaniac sociopath who tops the organisation,this is most definitely a knee jerk reaction to a thorn in his side that he cannot control.what i would say is,CONTINUE to post the truth.

OOOH!!!doesn't the truth hurt mick!!!take it the camel has been retired due to ineffectuality.HOOOORAH!

Whilst the Ryanair ad is an insult, it is also allowing you to post your views about it as it is one of the many ads that allow this site to exist. Why not galvanise your colleagues and use this blatant example of Ryanairs' disgusting bully boy tactics to get some sort of consensus and finally organise yourselves into a cohesive force and show your gutter management that you have finally had enough?

At least you can counter the vile and reprehensible advertising that Ryanair on here for free. You are not being charged to make your point of view known to all and sundry who visit here. So, use this against Ryanair by showing everyone how low Ryanair will stoop. Show everyone who supports this disgusting company by buying cheap tickets that they are doing so on the backs of dedicated workers. Show everyone that they are supporting a management of pariahs and bullies.

Just writing and complaining on here isn't going to do anything. Use this as a prime example of their vile management practices. No wonder many of you are being walked over so often as you obviously seem to fail to be able to grasp the fact that this could be used in your favour. :ugh:

Ryanair
 

badboy raggamuffin makes a very important point, as does mumbo jumbo.

The real problem with the Ryanair pilots is that they are affecting the rest of the industry. I won't say they don't care, but perhaps we should say they don't care enough ... to the rest of us.

Pilots getting screwed on money and schedules is never going to affect how passengers thing of Ryanair though. The only leverage anyone will have is when they make a link to these issues and the safety of the airline.

When passengers feel threatened, they'll listen.

But since we obviously have at least one Ryanair pilot here, let me ask ... why don't the other pilots seem to care much about their working conditions ... at least enough to take any action?

You're flying Boeings, so you must have a defined level of experience. Does everyone want to fly from Ireland so badly that they will put up with anything to be based there?