Please help our campaign..Paypal donations to jonnyjade@yahoo.co.uk www.ryanairdontcarecrew.blogspot.com is our main BLOG.
Saturday 26 November 2011
Thursday 20 October 2011
RYANAIR RIP OFF CABIN CREW AND PILOTS...
Ryanair rip off
Building on the success of their Office Angels campaign Solidarity Federation have began working with the ‘Ryanair Don’t Care’ campaign to highlight the ruthless employment practices of the profitable budget airline.Liverpool Solfed has put their full backing behind the campaign headed by John Foley who has been arrested six times for his direct action activism against the airline. His latest court appearance, for protesting on top of John Lennon airport, saw Liverpool Solfed members organise a solidarity demo outside the court.
Ryanair’s current policy of recruitment-for-termination is part of the massive exploitation of people who apply to work for the company. As it stands potential cabin crew have to pay a fee of 3000 Euro through an agency to undergo training for Ryanair. As many as 60 people are sacked at any one time after this initial training period, up to 200 people a month. Those who survive are put on a 12 month probationary period on a lower rate of pay than normal cabin crew and Ryanair pocket the difference, as much as £20m a year.
There is also the example of Ryanair sidestepping employment legislation in its French operations, paying employees only according to their own national laws – avoiding the additional social benefit payments that French workers should legally receive.
John Foley has mounted a three year campaign against Ryanair ever since his daughter was scammed by the company as a cabin crew member and he uncovered the systematic exploitation of all potential employees. His trial for the rooftop protest begins on 3rd November.
Sunday 16 October 2011
REPA IN BRIEF....RYANAIR PILOTS NEED TO JOIN REPA ''NOW'' ....RESPECT & DIGNITY Michael O'Leary & David Bonderman
HELLO AND WELCOME TO THE FIRST EVER EDITION OF REPA “IN BRIEF”.
WWW.REPAWEB.ORG
REPA is completely free and
100% anonymous. This
project has been a long time
in the making and it is a
world apart from the past
website. Thank you to all
those who have made it all
possible, your effort has not
gone unnoticed. Please sign
up to the new website, it
would be a shame for all this
effort to go to waste. We hope
the new webstite will provide
a safe and efficient method of
allowing pilots to
communicate freely.
Next we need you to
participate in the polls and
threads. Without everyones
input we can’t agree on a
unified plan of action. Some
of the ideas bounced around
have let to this newsletter
being produced, so who
knows what your thoughts
might lead to.
At REPA it is important
everyone has their say
regardless of their views and
opinions.
! Due to the large numbers
join-ing REPA along with the
commitment we have shown,
IALPA have just announced a
special membership offer
exclusively for Ryanair
Pilots. You can sign up via
REPAWEB.ORG. It is cheap
too, only
FO’s and
Captains. For more details
please see their website.
“Inbrief” asks you to take full
advantage of the services on
offer, show commitment and
discuss these issues. Power is
in numbers and a network
united.
Without a union it is a
guarantee that terms and
conditions will get worse,
past history has proved this.
Don’t be fooled by supposed
pay rises and improoved
conditions, much like
Ryanairs low fares there is
always a catch
Ryanair's previous solution
was an ERC for your voice to
be heard. Has the ERC met
your expectations? Have they
really managed to improve or
maintain our situation, or is
it just lip service?
Do you want to be treated as
a number forever? Or do you
want to be respected like the
professional you are?
WHY ARE WE DOING THIS.......WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP.......IALPA MEMBERSHIP
“InBrief” is a newsletter created by pilots for pilots. Our aim is to try and inform,
educate and unite our community. With so many pilots, bases and contracts it is by
no means an easy task to rally the troops. “InBrief” and REPA want to show you the
issues you are discussing in your base, are also being discussed across the network.
We hope that this newsletter can show you who we are, what we are and what we are
trying to achieve.WWW.REPAWEB.ORG
REPA is completely free and
100% anonymous. This
project has been a long time
in the making and it is a
world apart from the past
website. Thank you to all
those who have made it all
possible, your effort has not
gone unnoticed. Please sign
up to the new website, it
would be a shame for all this
effort to go to waste. We hope
the new webstite will provide
a safe and efficient method of
allowing pilots to
communicate freely.
Next we need you to
participate in the polls and
threads. Without everyones
input we can’t agree on a
unified plan of action. Some
of the ideas bounced around
have let to this newsletter
being produced, so who
knows what your thoughts
might lead to.
At REPA it is important
everyone has their say
regardless of their views and
opinions.
! Due to the large numbers
join-ing REPA along with the
commitment we have shown,
IALPA have just announced a
special membership offer
exclusively for Ryanair
Pilots. You can sign up via
REPAWEB.ORG. It is cheap
too, only 17 per month for!
FO’s and 33 per month for
Captains. For more details
please see their website.
“Inbrief” asks you to take full
advantage of the services on
offer, show commitment and
discuss these issues. Power is
in numbers and a network
united.
Without a union it is a
guarantee that terms and
conditions will get worse,
past history has proved this.
Don’t be fooled by supposed
pay rises and improoved
conditions, much like
Ryanairs low fares there is
always a catch
Ryanair's previous solution
was an ERC for your voice to
be heard. Has the ERC met
your expectations? Have they
really managed to improve or
maintain our situation, or is
it just lip service?
Do you want to be treated as
a number forever? Or do you
want to be respected like the
professional you are?
!17 per month for!33 per month for! “InBrief” is a newsletter created by pilots for pilots. Our aim is to try and inform,
educate and unite our community. With so many pilots, bases and contracts it is by
no means an easy task to rally the troops. “InBrief” and REPA want to show you the
issues you are discussing in your base, are also being discussed across the network.
We hope that this newsletter can show you who we are, what we are and what we are
trying to achieve.
! RYANAIR NEWS
Carrot and stick? Smoke and mirrors? This lovely and eloquently written letter from the Deputy Director of
Flight Operations highlights their desperation, the topics mentioned in this professional letter are all hot topics
on REPA over the last few weeks. Is it a coincidence increasing numbers on REPA and a new IALPA initiative
coincides with management suddenly talking about issues the ERC “suggested”, after four years?
ON REPAWEB.
MUCH MORE Q1 FIGURES
The Q1 figures have been released and we have made a staggering
were compensated for the hard work that we put in? Most airlines would have given a bonus if they had such
figures, not in Ryanair. Friends who have left for the desert, in search of better pay and respect recently
received a $6000
ratings!
!140 million PROFIT. Is it not time that weBONUS plus a PAY RISE for their efforts, and some of them have still to start their (free) type PAY- FREEZE OVER:
Mr. O’Leary has been kind enough to increase his own bonus this year, by a whopping 83%, bringing his total
pay to over 1 million euros, according to the Irish Examiner business section. This is separate from his 187
million euros worth of shares. “InBrief” and REPA members believe it is time the people on the ground who
produce this profit should get acknowledged and rewarded. Whilst some people might believe the recent memo
about pay increases for the Brookfield Captains an indepth study shows the truth behing the figures.
MORE ON REPAWEB.BIG BLOW FOR O'LEARY
THE BOEING MIND GAMES
(General Chat)-
Airlines purchase 200 737’s
American 25 MINUTE TURN AROUNDS
(REPA Issues)-
on time?
Do you call it WHAT MIGHT A CAMPAIGN
BY RYANAIR PILOTS LOOK
LIKE? (Industrial Issues)-
What does the future hold?
What are we going to do?
IALPA MEMBERSHIP
(Industrial Issues)-
reaction and new members
joining daily.
Initial RYANIR TO ‘CREATE ‘ A
NEW AGENCY (Brookfield
contractor issues) –
like having a selection of
accountants to choose from!TOTAL MEMBERS TO
DATE
1736
MANY COLLEAGUES
JOINING EVERY DAY!WE HOPE YOU HAVE
ENJOYED THIS EDITION OF
“INBRIEF”,
PLEASE PRINT A COPY FOR
OTHER PILOTS TO ENJOY.
FOR COMMENTS, IDEAS OR
ANYTHING ELSE PLEASE
LEAVE COMMENTS ON THE
SITE.
SAFE FLYING!!MuchMUCH THE MEMO
Simply by reading this you
show that you have some
interest in your future. This
company could be a great
place to work, it used to be
by all accounts. What we face
now is so important that we
can not afford to bury our
heads in the sand any longer.
The new cadets need to look
at their real career prospects.
Are you really willing to up
sticks and move your life to
the desert, China or India?
Would you not prefer to stay
in Europe, in a better
Ryanair?
For those close to retirement
thinking “I’m out of here
soon so I do not care”. You
have relied on previous pilots
to train and educate you, you
have prospered, surely you
owe it to the industy and the
future pilots to help them
stop the onslaught from the
management.
As for the rest of us, well, we
need to stop thinking that it
will never happen, it can
happen and it will happen but
this awful attitude of being
resigned to accepting
Ryanairs practises will not
help.
We face a never ending cycle
of decreasing wages and
increases in our cost of
living, It’s time to break that
cycle!
Firstly we would appreciate if
you could come and take a
look at the new REPA
forums. Sign up at:
Simply by reading this you
show that you have some
interest in your future. This
company could be a great
place to work, it used to be
by all accounts. What we face
now is so important that we
can not afford to bury our
heads in the sand any longer.
The new cadets need to look
at their real career prospects.
Are you really willing to up
sticks and move your life to
the desert, China or India?
Would you not prefer to stay
in Europe, in a better
Ryanair?
For those close to retirement
thinking “I’m out of here
soon so I do not care”. You
have relied on previous pilots
to train and educate you, you
have prospered, surely you
owe it to the industy and the
future pilots to help them
stop the onslaught from the
management.
As for the rest of us, well, we
need to stop thinking that it
will never happen, it can
happen and it will happen but
this awful attitude of being
resigned to accepting
Ryanairs practises will not
help.
We face a never ending cycle
of decreasing wages and
increases in our cost of
living, It’s time to break that
cycle!
Firstly we would appreciate if
you could come and take a
look at the new REPA
forums. Sign up at:
Tuesday 11 October 2011
JIM LARKIN MARCH IN LIVERPOOL 2011...RYANAIR PILOTS MUST HAVE TOTAL SOLIDARITY
Saturday 8th October 2011 RyanairDontCare Campaign marched through Liverpool city centre to remember ''Big Jim''.
Thousands saw one of many campaign banners we have and took photos of this great day.
SOLIDARITY
FOR PAUL RIDGARD
SOLIDARITY
FOR ALL
Thursday 15 September 2011
RYANAIR BROOKFIELD.....''GUILTY''...............PROFIT BEFORE SAFETY...
AIRLINES MUST END SELF-EMPLOYMENT OF PILOTS
In an attempt to off-load risk a growing number of employers are unfairly forcing pilots to register themselves as self-employed. This should be a concern to every passenger and every taxpayer yet the authorities seem unwilling to intervene, according to the British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA).
BALPA General Secretary, Jim McAuslan, said, ‘Like many trade unions we are concerned about workers who to all intents and purposes are employees but are being forced to register as self-employed. This gets the company out of having to provide holiday pay, redundancy cover, sick pay and leaves individuals fearing that they could be laid off at any moment.’
These individuals are essentially employees and the courts are slowing waking up to this. In the recent Supreme Court ruling in the Autoclenz Ltd v Belcher case the court ruled that the presence of a substitution clause did not in fact prove that there was not a “contract of employment” and many other considerations needed to be taken into account. Previously a substitution clause would require the self-employed person to supply someone else if they could not undertake the day’s work, but this was not what happened in reality.
BALPA will be encouraging fellow trade unions at the TUC Congress in London to use this judgment to launch a major attack on the abuse by employers of self-employment status.
Jim McAuslan went on: ‘BALPA’s concerns go much wider than employment status, however. We believe the practise goes against Civil Aviation Authority regulations which state that the employment of “freelance” flight crews may only be allowed in “exceptional circumstances”. In some airlines the exception is fast-becoming the norm and this needs to be addressed. BALPA will be pressing for this matter to be looked at by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) which sets world-wide standards for aviation safety.
‘As well as a safety concern the use of bogus self-employed status is leading to a loss to the Exchequer. This is aggravated when airlines insist that people are not only self-employed but have to register off-shore to secure employment. BALPA knows of many individuals who have had to go along with this façade because they are desperate for work and are given no real choice.
‘This approach is bad for jobs, bad for safety and bad for the country and the Government should act now.’
BALPA General Secretary, Jim McAuslan, said, ‘Like many trade unions we are concerned about workers who to all intents and purposes are employees but are being forced to register as self-employed. This gets the company out of having to provide holiday pay, redundancy cover, sick pay and leaves individuals fearing that they could be laid off at any moment.’
These individuals are essentially employees and the courts are slowing waking up to this. In the recent Supreme Court ruling in the Autoclenz Ltd v Belcher case the court ruled that the presence of a substitution clause did not in fact prove that there was not a “contract of employment” and many other considerations needed to be taken into account. Previously a substitution clause would require the self-employed person to supply someone else if they could not undertake the day’s work, but this was not what happened in reality.
BALPA will be encouraging fellow trade unions at the TUC Congress in London to use this judgment to launch a major attack on the abuse by employers of self-employment status.
Jim McAuslan went on: ‘BALPA’s concerns go much wider than employment status, however. We believe the practise goes against Civil Aviation Authority regulations which state that the employment of “freelance” flight crews may only be allowed in “exceptional circumstances”. In some airlines the exception is fast-becoming the norm and this needs to be addressed. BALPA will be pressing for this matter to be looked at by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) which sets world-wide standards for aviation safety.
‘As well as a safety concern the use of bogus self-employed status is leading to a loss to the Exchequer. This is aggravated when airlines insist that people are not only self-employed but have to register off-shore to secure employment. BALPA knows of many individuals who have had to go along with this façade because they are desperate for work and are given no real choice.
‘This approach is bad for jobs, bad for safety and bad for the country and the Government should act now.’
John Said,
Thank you BALPA.......
RYANAIR PILOTS MUST INFORM CHIRP OF SAFETY ISSUES BROKEN BY RYANAIR...EUROPE'S LAGEST EXPLOITORS OF CREW.
Ryanair Cabin Crew and Pilots can contact CHIRP for Aviation = Confidential Human Factors Incident Reporting Programme here .... http://www.chirp.co.uk/index.asp
RYANAIRDONTCARE CAMPAIGN ON LABOUR PARTY WEBSITE NOW....
and get involved for real change
BETA
RyanairDontCare Campaign
Created by
Stop the Exploitation of so many young people wishing to become Cabin Crew at Ryanair.Recruitment for Profit must stop.. Recruitment and training (at a 3000 Euro fee) to be TERMINATION must stop and the Government must act NOW.Termination levels at RYANAIR and AIB training loans need to be investigated before more young lives are damaged.
This is not a Labour Party campaign, it has been created by a user of Campaign Engine Room. As such it may not reflect Labour's official views or campaigns, which you can find here.
4 actions have been taken on this campaign.
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Sunday 11 September 2011
RYANAIR ABUSE SO MANY...PILOTS AND CABIN CREW......AGM 29th SEPTEMBER 2011
RYANAIR PILOTS MUST READ THIS LINK BELOW PLEASE......
http://ryanairdontcarecrew.blogspot.com/2011/09/ryanair-abuse-so-manypilots-and-cabin.html
http://ryanairdontcarecrew.blogspot.com/2011/09/ryanair-abuse-so-manypilots-and-cabin.html
Saturday 10 September 2011
RYANAIRDONTCARE ARE ON TWITTER NOW....
RyanairDontCare Campaign Are on TWITTER.So why not join us and get all the information on protests as they take place..
https://twitter.com/#!/ryanairdontcare
https://twitter.com/#!/ryanairdontcare
MICHAEL O'LEARY ABUSING SO MANY...........SPEAKING ABOUT RYANAIR EXPLOITERS ...
I'D SELL off the ESB, Aer Lingus and RTE to turn the economy around, Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary told the Herald today.
The airline chief would also bring everyone into the tax net -- including those on the dole, who he would tax at 10pc.
Mr O'Leary also says the number of TDs should be slashed to 58, the Senate abolished and the "public sector pension scams" brought to an end.
However, he admits he doesn't get everything right, being in negative equity on his Raglan Road, Dublin 4 home he bought at "the top of the bloody cycle".
The outspoken chief executive dismissed Aer Lingus as an "irrelevancy" and described "public sector broadcasting" as "horse sh**"
"In a European context there are four airlines that matter, Lufthansa, Air France, BA/Iberia and Ryanair," he tells the Herald in an exclusive interview.
Ireland has "huge tourism potential" but it is not being exploited, he added.
"Everything has come down but access capacity has been destroyed by the Department of Transport, the DAA and the travel tax," he said.
Mr O'Leary considers much of the public sector to be "rotten to the core".
He said the country's former top civil servant Dermot McCarthy should have been sacked for "10 years of abject failure" instead of receiving a €600,000 retirement payment.
In an echo of Fine Gael's pre-election five-point plan, Mr O'Leary outlined his own remedies for the ailing Irish economy.
He stormed: "I would slash public spending by €20bn in three years.
"There are 1,000 quangos that cost about €6bn a year, I would close every single one of them next Tuesday, starting with FAS, which costs €1bn a year.
"Unemployment would rise, but most of them are useless anyway, but they all would have to get jobs somewhere else."
John Said,
As you can see O'Leary wording....SCAMS and EXPLOITED are the two main things inside Ryanair.
O'Leary has no Respect or Dignity for Ryanair Crew,Unemployed he said are useless, terminated Ryanair cabin crew are Unemployed as a direct result of Michael O'Leary and David Bonderman scammers.......Do not understand why the Herald interview a abuser of so many Young People all over Europe,they need to talk to RyanairDontCare Campaign....
Friday 9 September 2011
BROOKFIELD RYANAIR CONTRACT.....DECLAN DOONEY HAS FULL POCKETS....CORRUPT OR NOT ???? SAFETY IS NOT PRIORITY AT RYANAIR ''PROFIT IS''
RYANAIR PILOT SAID:
There are many implications relating to the Brookfied Aviation contractors associated with Ryanair, some of which may not be obvious to the general public and the fare paying customers of Ryanair.
The whole reason that Brookfied Aviation was set up was so that Ryanair could shy away from it’s social welfare contributions as stated above and so that the pilots would have no employment rights. The manager of Brookfield Aviation is the ex-head of Ryanair HR, Declan Dooney. Mr. Dooney left Ryanair to set up the desired pilot contract workforce for Ryanair and this has grown to a massive scale due to the percentage of contractor pilots currently in Ryanair, about 65%. Various government bodies around Europe (excluding the UK) have questioned the legality of this practice and this is why the pilots are now forced to set up limited companies in Dublin with one of three Brookfield selected accountants (who take a mandatory 3% from their salaries) so that they can pay their taxes in Ireland, this is how they pacified the Irish Government. The limited company idea is only a temporary reprieve for them because Brookfield is only enforcing the new terms onto new pilots and allowing the existing contractors to remain on any scheme that they wish, even when their contracts are being renewed. There are hundreds of Brookfield pilots either not paying tax at all or paying through offshore dubious schemes in the IOM, Jersey, etc. In many cases these are people who live and work in the UK, so the UK government is missing out on a lot of tax and appears to be less interested than many other European counties, despite the fact that we are supposed to be cracking down on all illegal tax schemes.
So, the financial effect is the more obvious but there are more important effects to. The pilots are paid by the flying hour and their volume of work is totally dependant on the rostering department of Ryanair giving them some work. Often pilots are not being paid much money, especially in the winter months. Due to inconsistent income and pilots who are running into financial difficulties, often unable to pay their mortgages etc. result = PILOT STRESS.
The pilots are NOT allowed to seek work elsewhere because when they are not rostered for work they are on standby for the company to use them at a moments notice if they wish, this is every airline’s operational requirement but all other airlines pay a salary for that privilege. Some pilots in these winter months are flying two may be three days per month which means that they are earning less than £1000 per month, result = PILOT STRESS.
There is no sick pay, so human nature is to go to work when one is not really up to it, I’ve seen people in work very ill indeed. Despite the fact that the pilots are not employed by Ryanair they have to provide an official doctor’s sick note for any sickness whatsoever.
Brookfield pilots are often rostered to work from another European base at very short notice, they have to pay all associated travel and hotel costs themselves upfront even if they haven’t been earning any money for several months and therefore can’t afford to do so, result = PILOT STRESS. When rostered to fly from another base the days spent getting to and from that base are known in the industry as “duty days” There are certain legal flight time limitations in place to prevent pilots being fatigued and therefore not safe to fly, one of those limitations is the number consecutive duty days in a certain period and another is the length of each duty day. Ryanair refuses to accept that the days spent travelling are in fact duty days, but it clearly states in the official legal documentation that any days spent travelling at the behest of the company are “duty days” This can easily be conformed with the Civil Aviation Authority. result = PILOT STRESS and FLIGHT SAFETY ISSUE.
You may be wondering why I and many others put up with it, its because there is nothing else available in the UK which is why many UK pilots are now seeking employment in the Middle and Far East.
All in all I have used the phrases PILOT STRESS and FLIGHT SAFETY ISSUE where appropriate but PILOT STRESS is in itself a FLIGHT SAFETY ISSUE so the hidden effect of the illegal contractor pilots and dictatorship attitude is FLIGHT SAFETY and should be addressed by the Civil Aviation Authority and The Irish Aviation Authority before it’s too late, its unsafe! The Irish Aviation Authority appears to be entirely disinterested in the wrong doings of Ryanair due to its very close relationship with Mr O’Leary and his fellow directors.
If any journalist were to challenge Ryanair on these issues I’m sure that they would refuse to comment because this is all based on fact and they couldn’t possibly justify any of it.
John said,
This is so wrong............IAA need to do their job and stop turning a blind eye.........Ryanair Crew need help ''NOW''.................
RYANAIR SHAREHOLDERS WARNED...CORONERS REPORT INTO RYANAIR RIP PILOT
The death of a real important pilot at Ryanair a few months ago must never be forgotten.
The coroners report will not turn a blind eye to exploitation of crew at Ryanair and all shareholders need to know the truth.......David Bonderman and Michael O'Leary are not only guilty of cheating shareholders with their Isle of Man bank account but Guilty of contributing in the death of one of their pilots.
Please support this fund below......
Sunday 4 September 2011
STEPHEN McNAMARA RYANAIR'S PUPPET..... mcnamara@ryanair.com
OFT statement on its investigation of Ryanair’s minority shareholding in Aer Lingus
112/10 29 October 2010The OFT has today started a merger investigation into Ryanair Holdings plc's (Ryanair's) acquisition of a minority shareholding in Aer Lingus Group plc (Aer Lingus). Ryanair currently owns 29.82 per cent of Aer Lingus.
The OFT's investigation will have regard to two main questions:
(i) whether the OFT has jurisdiction under the Enterprise Act 2002 to review the acquisition as a relevant merger situation. This will include considering whether Ryanair has the ability to exercise material influence over the commercial policy of Aer Lingus (see Note 4) as well as whether the OFT is within the statutory time period available to it to investigate the acquisition and, if need be, refer it to the Competition Commission (see Note 5) and
(ii) if so, whether the acquisition raises competition issues that give rise to a duty to refer the acquisition to the Competition Commission under the 'substantial lessening of competition' test set out in the Enterprise Act 2002.
After initially acquiring a minority stake in Aer Lingus in 2006, Ryanair mounted a public bid for the entire shareholding in Aer Lingus in October 2006. The European Commission investigated the bid and decided to prohibit it in June 2007.
Aer Lingus subsequently appealed against the European Commission's decision not to order Ryanair to divest its existing minority stake in Aer Lingus. In July 2010, the European General Court ruled that the European Commission did not have the ability to require divestment of minority shareholdings that do not confer 'decisive influence' for the purposes of the EC Merger Regulation. Separately, Ryanair also appealed, unsuccessfully, to the General Court on the grounds that the European Commission should not have prohibited its public bid for the entire shareholding in Aer Lingus.
Given the termination of the European Commission investigation and related litigation, the OFT is now considering the acquisition.
The OFT has written to Ryanair seeking information and its views on the acquisition. In line with its normal practice, the OFT has today invited comments from third parties on the acquisition, to be submitted by 12 November.
NOTES
- Ryanair Holdings plc currently owns 29.82 per cent of Aer Lingus Group plc. Ryanair initially acquired a stake in Aer Lingus in late 2006. It mounted a public bid for the entire shareholding in Aer Lingus in October 2006. The European Commission investigated the public bid and decided to prohibit it in June 2007. The General Court ruled in July 2010 that the European Commission does not have the ability to examine or require divestment of minority shareholdings that do not confer 'decisive influence' for the purposes of the EC Merger Regulation - see Note 4.
- The reference test - the OFT has a duty to make a reference to the Competition Commission if it believes that it is or may be the case that a relevant merger situation has been created and the creation of that situation has resulted, or may be expected to result, in a substantial lessening of competition within any market or markets in the United Kingdom for goods or services.
- Under the Enterprise Act 2002 a relevant merger situation is created if two or more enterprises have ceased to be distinct enterprises; and the value of the turnover in the United Kingdom of the enterprise being taken over exceeds £70 million; or as a result of the transaction, in relation to the supply of goods or services of any description, a 25 per cent share of supply in the UK (or a substantial part thereof) is created or enhanced.
- Under the Enterprise Act 2002 the OFT may treat as a relevant merger situation a minority shareholding where that shareholding gives its owner the ability materially to influence the behaviour and policy of the target company including the target company's strategic direction and commercial objectives. As stated in the OFT's Mergers - jurisdictional and procedural guidance (OFT527, paragraph 3.15) this is a lower level of control than the 'decisive influence' test used by the European Commission under the EC Merger Regulation.
- Under the Enterprise Act 2002 the OFT is able to refer to the Competition Commission completed relevant mergers within four months of the merger's completion or from the time material facts about the merger were made public. However, the Enterprise Act 2002 provides that the duty to refer applies outside this four month timetable when the reference could not have been made earlier because of anything done under or in accordance with the EC Merger Regulation.
Ryanair Holdings PLC - RYANAIR RESPONDS TO THE OFT's "MERGER UPDATE"
Thursday 1 September 2011
Ryanair's Stephen McNamara said: mcnamara@ryanair.com ....
"We are surprised that the OFT continues to waste time and resources on a failed merger offer between two non UK companies, some five years after the offer was withdrawn, and some four years after the EU Commission prohibited the original offer but confirmed that Ryanair had neither de jure nor de facto control over Aer Lingus.
This OFT investigation sets a damaging precedent for future UK mergers, as it appears that the OFT now intends to second guess and become involved in mergers up to 9 years after the transaction, only once all EU appeals have been completed. We believe that this investigation is out of time and we trust that the Court of Appeal will share our view and put an end to this unnecessary investigation."
John said,
Not surprised
McNamara '' the puppet'' again trying to move away from the true issues,but thats Ryanair all over....Time for recruitment at EUROPE'S GREATEST TRAINING ROBBERS ''RYANAIR'' to be looked at also....
Thursday 1 September 2011
HELP OUR PROTESTS TO CONTINUE...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=360390777253
This tshirt for sale on ebay is to generate funds to continue the Protests against Ryanair,Europe's Greatest Training Robbers...
RyanairDontCare Campaign will continue to protest with your help....
Saturday 27 August 2011
RYANAIRDONTCARE CAMPAIGN'S JOHN LENNON AIRPORT ROOP TOP PROTEST 2011.....
JOHN LENNON AIRPORT ROOF TOP PROTEST AGAINST EXPLOITORS ''RYANAIR''
John Lennon Airport this week saw the latest protest from RyanairDontCare Campaign against Ryanair SCAMMERS,which was a NEWS BLACK OUT.
The day started at 11.15am on 23rd August 2011 with Mr John Foley,founder of RyanairDontCare Campaign who gained access to the airport with 2 ladders and started to climb on to the roof of the building.
Within Minutes the Protest banners were in place and no Police in sight.It was over one hour before Police arrived even though 4 Ryanair aircraft crew were looking at the banners.
I was asked by Merseyside Police how long i was planning to protest to which i said,as long as i could stay up here.I was never asked WHY was i protesting there which was strange but maybe the banners said it all.
I was never told to come down by any police officer.
After 15 hours,about 2am i was cold and tiered and fell asleep and was woken up at 4am by Inspector Ruddock who had climbed onto the roof through a escape hatch,hand cuffed me and to be honest nearly gave me a heart attack.I must say Officer Ruddock was very professional and did release the hand cuffs whilst i was still on the roof.He did ask me not to resist which i did comply with as these two officers had put their safety at risk to end this protest.Inspector Ruddock had met me before on my last roof top protest in Liverpool. http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2010/02/09/man-s-rooftop-protest-against-ryanair-on-top-of-speke-s-crowne-plaza-hotel-100252-25798364/
so he new these issues were real and the aim of the protest was peaceful.
I was kept in police custody for 28 hours and taken to court as the police objected to bail.My Solicitor from MJP Solicitors in Liverpool was great and got me conditional bail..Next court date 8th September 2011.
A news black out from Liverpool Echo,which was expected and local radio was in place as a way of turning a blind eye to the Abuse of our Children by Ryanair ''MONEY SPEAKS......So no more.....
A court date is in place and a Not Guilty Plea was placed at Liverpool Magistrates Court...
A message to Mr Bonderman and Mr O'leary, you tried to stop the shareholder banner being seen at your head office protest 3 weeks ago, a NEWS BLACK out on the latest roof top protest stooped the banner being seen,but guess what LOOK below.
The day started at 11.15am on 23rd August 2011 with Mr John Foley,founder of RyanairDontCare Campaign who gained access to the airport with 2 ladders and started to climb on to the roof of the building.
Within Minutes the Protest banners were in place and no Police in sight.It was over one hour before Police arrived even though 4 Ryanair aircraft crew were looking at the banners.
I was asked by Merseyside Police how long i was planning to protest to which i said,as long as i could stay up here.I was never asked WHY was i protesting there which was strange but maybe the banners said it all.
I was never told to come down by any police officer.
After 15 hours,about 2am i was cold and tiered and fell asleep and was woken up at 4am by Inspector Ruddock who had climbed onto the roof through a escape hatch,hand cuffed me and to be honest nearly gave me a heart attack.I must say Officer Ruddock was very professional and did release the hand cuffs whilst i was still on the roof.He did ask me not to resist which i did comply with as these two officers had put their safety at risk to end this protest.Inspector Ruddock had met me before on my last roof top protest in Liverpool. http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2010/02/09/man-s-rooftop-protest-against-ryanair-on-top-of-speke-s-crowne-plaza-hotel-100252-25798364/
so he new these issues were real and the aim of the protest was peaceful.
What was interesting was after i came down Mr Terry Sloan Duty Manager at John Lennon Airport confronted John Foley,................Liverpool John Lennon Airport is a threat to safety and security because of Peel Holdings and Ryanair details to follow on the next post......
I was kept in police custody for 28 hours and taken to court as the police objected to bail.My Solicitor from MJP Solicitors in Liverpool was great and got me conditional bail..Next court date 8th September 2011.
A news black out from Liverpool Echo,which was expected and local radio was in place as a way of turning a blind eye to the Abuse of our Children by Ryanair ''MONEY SPEAKS......So no more.....
A court date is in place and a Not Guilty Plea was placed at Liverpool Magistrates Court...
A message to Mr Bonderman and Mr O'leary, you tried to stop the shareholder banner being seen at your head office protest 3 weeks ago, a NEWS BLACK out on the latest roof top protest stooped the banner being seen,but guess what LOOK below.
John Said...
Doomed to fail ''MICHAEL'' How far would you go for your children.......ALL THE WAY....AGM September 2011.Next...............
Donations for protests can be sent through Paypal to jonnyjade@yahoo.co.uk Thank you...
PAUL RIDGARD FUND......RYANAIR PILOTS ARE SO GREAT...TRUE RESPECT and DIGNITY....
It gives me great pleasure to inform viewers of this blog that Ryanair Pilots have set up a fund for a Colleague.PAUL RIDGARD Real Important Pilot at Ryanair who sadly pasted away a few months ago.
Here is the FUND Link http://www.repaweb.org/paul-ridgard-fund and we call for donation and let's show David Bonderman and Michael O'Leary the true meaning of RESPECT and DIGNITY.....
John said.
Thank you Ryanair Pilots......Shame on you Bonderman and O'Leary.......
Here is the FUND Link http://www.repaweb.org/paul-ridgard-fund and we call for donation and let's show David Bonderman and Michael O'Leary the true meaning of RESPECT and DIGNITY.....
John said.
Thank you Ryanair Pilots......Shame on you Bonderman and O'Leary.......
Liverpool Solidarity Federation..........................RYANAIRDONTCARE CAMPAIGN AT JOHN LENNON AIRPORT...NEWS BLACK OUT....
Anti-exploitation protest at Liverpool John Lennon Airport
In a phone call from the roof, John, a comrade of Liverpool Solidarity Federation, said: "The exploitation of staff by Ryanair must stop. The authorities have continually turned a blind eye to this issue, but we will not."
Please e-mail messages of solidarity and support to liverpoolsf[at]solfed.org.uk and we will pass them on to John.
Below is a statement released through Liverpool SolFed by the Ryanair Don't Care campaign:
The direct action protest is to highlight the recruitment-for-termination policy of Ryanair towards young students wishing to follow their dream as cabin crew. Wrecking so many young lives for profit must stop and we call on all shareholders to sack the whole board at Ryanair NOW.
Direct action protests will continue at all airports where Ryanair do business...
We would also like to thank Liverpool Solidarity Federation for their continued support for our campaign.
http://www.ryanairdontcarecrew.blogspot.com/
Please e-mail messages of solidarity and support to liverpoolsf[at]solfed.org.uk and we will pass them on to John.
Below is a statement released through Liverpool SolFed by the Ryanair Don't Care campaign:
The direct action protest is to highlight the recruitment-for-termination policy of Ryanair towards young students wishing to follow their dream as cabin crew. Wrecking so many young lives for profit must stop and we call on all shareholders to sack the whole board at Ryanair NOW.
Direct action protests will continue at all airports where Ryanair do business...
We would also like to thank Liverpool Solidarity Federation for their continued support for our campaign.
http://www.ryanairdontcarecrew.blogspot.com/
John said,
Above is the post which was placed on the Liverpool Solidarity Federation Web Site regarding our roof top protest against Europe's Greatest Training Robbers ''RYANAIR''.
I wish to thank Liverpool Solidarity Federation for your support and all your members for their messages whilst i was on the roof.
Protests against Ryanair will continue......................
Thursday 11 August 2011
RYANAIR ARE CORRUPT...GOVERNMENT'S OF EUROPE MUST PROTECT THEIR WORKERS ''NOW'' YOUNG WORKERS GETTING EXPLOITATED BY RYANAIR MUST STOP. ''NOW''
Differences between employed and contracted staffWhen one of their flight attendant is described as an employee, I feel this is incorrect. They are all, from captain to cabin crew, “consultants” on contracts of various kinds, and are not fixed term or permanent employees of Ryanair. The stewardess must replace the cost of the sandwich herself when the accounts do not tally. Not only that, the company's operating structure is based very much on tax evasion. As far as I know, 6 months is the maximum allowed length of contracting of work according to Norwegian labour legislation, and after that time one should be given permanent employment or the relationship terminated. Captains on a so-called "Brookfield contract" (self-employed working abroad), are forced into this form of contract. In these circumstances, neither social contributions by the employer or taxes are paid. What do the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority and the tax authorities think about this?
Not allowed in Norway
Captains as contractors are not allowed on a permanent basis in Norway, since it is believed this could compromise security. This form of social dumping thus makes the captain a dangerous person. The reason is that the captain is not an employee in the ordinary sense of the world and therefore has no social rights, employment protection or other rights. The captain must undertake a constant balancing act between aviation regulations and social security. As a contracted pilot you can be dismissed from one day to the next, by the company terminating the contract, since this is, legally speaking, a relationship between two corporate entities (company to company).
Glaring example in Norway
We have recently had one example of this in Sweden, when the company laid off all pilots and then brought them back as contracted workers. In this way there will be no social contributions for the employer to pay, which in Sweden are very high, and other social costs, to which according to Swedish law an employee is entitled. At the same time this also avoids the issue of employment protection. The issue of safety is raised when considering how the captain will reason when he has to do a "Go Around" in minimum weather conditions, or would like more fuel on board than the company has stipulated in its procedures.
Aviation Authority cannot do anything
It goes without saying that the contractors / pilots are mentally pressured by the company's operating structure and culture in stressful situations. Does the Aviation authority truly believe that the cockpit crew will always make the right decision during a night of blizzards and slippery runways with fewer possible alternative airports?
One discrepancy leads to several discrepancies
Ryanair's manuals are tailored for security, but has little or no regard for deviations from the established standard procedure. The captain can and will, for example, press the aircraft down hard, because he departed with minimum fuel on board in order to avoid reprisals from the company. The co-pilot is either totally inexperienced, as many are, or remains passive when the captain, in an authoritarian culture like that of Ryanair, is just that - authoritarian.
Shareholder Statistics
The co-pilot also wants to become captain one day. In one glaring example, the captain has a 39OC fever, but continues to fly. He gets paid only as long as he flies, there is no sick leave or sick pay, since he is not employed. Fortunately, this landing also went well, meaning that next time it will be even easier to deviate from the procedures. And Ryanair ? On time as usual. The best statistics in the industry. What does the Civil Aviation Authority think about this? Impotent as usual.
Concerned for safety
I'm worried about passenger safety. On the other hand, this situation very much skews competition, and the only value to hold true within all of Ryanair is that of the figures on the bottom line. Everything else is a lie. I hope someone takes the trouble to do some investigation about Norwegian legislation and Ryanair.
Wednesday 10 August 2011
RYANAIR SHARE PRICE GOING DOWN and DOWN....IRISH STOCK MARKET...SELL BEFORE YOU LOOSE SHAREHOLDERS
RyanairDontCare Campaign has been in contact with IRISH and LONDON Stock Markets,informing them of the exploitation of our CHILDREN and corrupt crews salary.
Share Prices at Ryanair are down -3.8225% this week and we expect them to go lower.....Corrupt dealings in Ryanair with crews working contracts from,Crewlink/Workforce and Brookfield are involved....
Time for shareholders to sack Bonderman and O'leary....
Share Prices at Ryanair are down -3.8225% this week and we expect them to go lower.....Corrupt dealings in Ryanair with crews working contracts from,Crewlink/Workforce and Brookfield are involved....
Time for shareholders to sack Bonderman and O'leary....
RYANAIR UK PILOTS MUST JOIN BALPA ''NOW''
Working for Ryanair
Ryanair still does not recognise a professional body or Union. Some would say that this fact has contributed to impressive figures in their business. Without Trade Union support to uphold terms and conditions, our pilots and crews now fly at very low cost in comparison to our peers. The company can pass on those savings to the consumer to encourage a higher load factor, which in turn, is used to impress traders on the stock markets and municipal governments for favourable airport contracts and subsidies.
Flying for Ryanair has its advantages. You might have heard them before. Both the company and the pilots can quite rightly be proud of these facts, so the sales pitch can be somewhat well-worn. It goes like this: we have a ‘fixed’ roster pattern. Five days on, four days off. This can change to five on three off, or six on two off during the last quarter of the fiscal year. If you are flying out of your home base, you get to go home every night. We have one of, if not the newest fleets in the industry with an average age of three years. The aircraft are well maintained, the routes are varied and interesting and the Company’s growth means there’s plenty of potential for training or management positions and so on. From the outside, Ryanair can look appealing, and on the surface, it is. Life on the inside, however, is a little different.
The reality of life in Ryanair
Sitting down with the strategists behind the campaign, it was interesting to note that the first objective to achieve – our number one ‘want’ – was ‘a voice’; the power of collective bargaining. Increased terms and conditions are secondary. Simply put, the unanimous priority for those involved is, ‘we want to be heard’.
The problem lies in the way management view, and subsequently treat its staff. Contracts are handed out with a ‘take it or leave it’ approach. Annexes to the contracts, so-called ‘Agreements’, are imposed without proper consultation, with a view of ‘we can do what we want’. In Ryanair, pilots feel they are treated as property – once you sign up you are effectively signing all your flexibility to the company. Pilots who fight their corner are met with threats or punitive measures. Right now the mood is that management is actively working against pilots and cabin crew, which is an untenable position long term.
T
The Employment
Representative Committee
At the moment, the company operates with a system of Company Councils called ERCs (Employee Representative Committees). These entitle Ryanair to forgo official Union recognition as the ERCs should represent the view of the pilots to management and vice versa. In principle this might work with a fair and respectful management, who would be willing to listen and come to some compromise. However, within the last several years we have seen Ryanair’s management largely ignore its own rules on operating the ERCs, and has not been consistent in holding free and fair elections when it should, having only done this at the insistence of the pilots. Management ignores the views expressed by the pilots via the ERC members and engages in a very heavily-weighted top-down approach. Pilots, especially in larger bases, are often unaware of who is representing them; when they wish to be represented, the ERCs, for all their time and effort, are made ineffectual because management does not wish to engage in progressive discussion with them. The end result is that the effectiveness of the ERCs has been devalued.
T
The effect of an imbalance
of power
Consider the reduction in our terms and conditions over the last decade. Since 1999 Ryanair pilots’ average pay in real terms has decreased; we now pay for our own uniforms, food and drink on board and our own travel and HOTAC to and from training facilities. Medicals are organised by the individual pilot, are paid for out of his/her disposable income and are taken on their days off; we receive no loss of licence cover, no health insurance (although these are covered in an ‘allowance’ which is granted at the company’s whim); we are not compensated for having to move base; our annual leave is a statutory 28 days, of which the company dictates when 18 must be taken; unpaid leave has been imposed and the company
has decreed that all pilots convert
to IAA licences at their own expense (currently £363) or face a £500 per year punitive fine.
Compare Ryanair’s growth figures while those terms and conditions were being taken away. Ryanair’s profits grew every year (with a small exception in 2004) from £57.5m in 1999 to £480.9m last year. Passenger numbers grew every year, from 4.9m in 1999 to 50.9m in 2008, and are projected to be over 58m this year. Suffice to say, the pilots have lost while the company has gained.
Ryanair’s role in the
wider industry
As Ryanair pilots’ terms and conditions have decreased, the company has been able to gain a perceived unfair competitive advantage over other airlines which now have to consider reducing their terms and conditions or, worse, make layoffs to compete. In
other words, our inaction to stop this decrease in Ryanair’s terms and conditions over the years has led to reductions in the entire industry In Ryanair, pilots believe no thought is given to treating employees fairly, or what the cost of losing an experienced employee means to the company – but why would they? There are a myriad of hopefuls willing to produce the £30,000 up-front fee for a type rating; command upgrades are soon to have an application fee of £4,500. Ryanair does not need to care about losing someone experienced (and costly) because it can replace them with a cheaper (even profitable) person who will be willing to suffer hardships in order to get an airline job or promotion. RyanairRyanair, pilots believe no thought is given to treating employees fairly, or what the cost of losing an experienced employee means to the company – but why would they? There are a myriad of hopefuls willing to produce the £30,000 up-front fee for a type rating; command upgrades are soon to have an application fee of £4,500. Ryanair does not need to care about losing someone experienced (and costly) because it can replace them with a cheaper (even profitable) person who will be willing to suffer hardships in order to get an airline job or promotion. Ryanair therefore does not need to care about its workforce – in its view, caring is costly. Not all airline managers are the same. Indeed some have voiced concern on these trends – it is not in their interest to reduce their terms and conditions but they have to keep competitive.
This is why what happens in Ryanair concerns everyone associated with commercial flying, because it is not only a diluting of terms and conditions, but could cause a trend towards lower experience levels.
BALPA has recognised this and has modernised its organisational structure to reflect the importance of the low-cost sector, allowing a greater representation from short-haul/low- cost operators in the BALPA council. It is important for Ryanair to have a voice on this council, so we might influence and make cases to change practices which affect us directly.
What is in store for future
Ryanair pilots?
Over the last decade Ryanair’s movement has been away from granting pilots ‘employee’ status towards favouring contract-based workers. New entrants to Ryanair are often not given a choice; once training is completed they are only given the option of taking a contract through a sister agency called Brookfield Aviation. Under Brookfield, pilots are classified as self-employed. In the past management has successfully utilised this division to pitch Brookfield pilots against Ryanair employees, however Brookfielders are coming to the realisation that they are not so much Brookfield pilots, but Ryanair pilots on weaker contracts. Brookfielders are contractually bound not to fly outside Ryanair; they are told when to work, when to take leave, can be laid-off at a moment’s notice but are not guaranteed a continuous source of income. As many of these pilots do not have a choice and are currently seeing reductions in their flying hours (therefore their source of income), they are a cheap and effective way for Ryanair to utilise its workforce (a seasonal hire-and-fire them approach). Projecting the current trend forward, there is a real possibility that Ryanair will do away with permanent employees completely – or at least to the point it is legally permitted.
This provides extra challenges for the campaign. Workers have fewer rights than employees, and because Brookfield pilots are seen as self-employed, their ability to unite under a single banner is restricted. If Ryanair continues to water down the mix of employees it may become much harder for the pilot group to unite. For this reason, BALPA and the campaigners in Ryanair realise the best time for recognition is now. Brookfield pilots can still support the campaign by signing the on-line, confidential petition (just follow the link at the end of this article). One of the targets for the campaign is to see that those pilots at least get the option to take up employee status.
T
The campaign for dignity
and respect
Ryanair continues to treat its employees as operational costs, not people. The professionalism demonstrated by Ryanair pilots cannot continue to be exploited by management. We are professional pilots. We deserve to be treated in a manner commensurate with our ability and responsibility.
As individuals we do not have the strength to challenge management if we perceive ourselves to be unfairly treated. This is why this campaign’s primary goal is to gain the ability to bargain collectively: strength in numbers.
A company that is willing to listen
and work with its staff to achieve amicable solutions has nothing to fear from its workforce. Pilots have a vested interest in the direction of the company; our jobs depend on it being successful; it is in our interests to reach solutions which benefit the company. With that being said, pilots also have a responsibility to themselves, their colleagues and to their families not to allow management to take them for granted. With a greater flow of communication between pilots and management, Ryanair can work cohesively to meet the demands of the industry, remain competitive and strive to provide a better service. It needs both sides to respect each other and engage in serious, grown-up discussions over where we want this company to be long term.
The Ryanair Recognition Campaign is being led by pilots in Ryanair, with the assistance of BALPA and backing of the NEC, which provides support and campaign guidance. Together we will speak for all Ryanair pilots and take their concerns to management and make them listen.
The time has finally come to take a stand. We are fighting for your right to be heard!
JOIN BALPA..........................''NOW''
John Said,
Information above is from the official BALPA Website...
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