01 Sep 2004 -
Ryan-Be-Fair

10 January 2005

Just months after it launched a website to defend Ryanair workers, international union federation the ITF today said it has attracted over half a million hits and revealed what it described as a 'shocking catalogue of misery, low pay and oppression' among the airline's workers. Ryanair employees have used www.ryan-be-fair.org to talk about the climate of fear that surrounds them, of 12 hour days without breaks, and of how they even have to pay for the water they need to drink on flights.

The ITF (International Transport Workers' Federation) designed the website as a new kind of union campaign that takes account of the fears of workers at the airline, whose boss, Michael O'Leary, is well known for his virulent anti-trade unionism. In four months it has generated more than 525,000 hits from over 51,ooo   visitors   (full analysis given at end of press release).

ITF General Secretary David Cockroft stated: "The comments that visitors to the site have sent in are genuinely shocking.   They paint a picture of sheer misery, where some people are charged for every basic need and then dare not speak out about the bullying and overwork in case they lose the jobs they have as good as had to pay for."

He continued: "Michael O'Leary is quick to try and deflect criticism of the way he treats staff by claiming that they are the highest paid in the industry. We knew before how he reached that figure, by boasting about averages that do not include all the lower paid jobs he outsources, but these latest allegations add to the existing rumours about how these supposedly wonderfully looked after staff are made to pay for their training, uniforms and even their water."

"As it's run at the moment, Ryanair is a disgrace. Things are even worse there than we suspected. In the light of the comments posted the public should be thinking about choosing another airline and the regulatory authorities should be actively and urgently investigating.   What we are hearing aren't complaints, they're cries for help."              

He concluded: "We were glad to see that the Ryan-be-fair model is also going to be used by the new Ryanair European Pilots' Association and wish them luck in trying to make headway against O'Leary's obstructionism and refusal to listen. We also fully back the efforts of Ryanair workers in Spain who are reminding the company that the Spanish Constitution guarantees their right to join a union and to strike if necessary - even if the company failed to meet them for the mediation that law demands."

Among the comments sent to the site are the following. They are as received: they have not been edited or the spelling corrected.

From cabin crew:

"We don't even have freedom of speach.We have no water,no food, no proper winter uniform and no proper toilet facilities.We are given out to if we are sick. Prisnors are treated better"

"I've been working as cabin crew for 2 years now and the conditions are getting worse and worse, I know of crew who not only worked seven days in a row but eight and ryanair said this was legal as it was split duty. How can you expect crew to be at their best and   ensure passenger safety when we are so tired we don't know what day of the week it is. I feel the public need to know how badly we are treated because its inhumane, thanks    for giving us a voice you don't know what this means to us. THANK YOU and please help us...."

"Almost 140 working hours per month!!!!!

No insurance!!!!

No pension!!!!NO crew water on board (and often you have to stay on the plane for 12 hours!!!!)

When you are sick you have to pay and despite this if you call in sick they make you miserable!!!!Too many sick days (8 in a year maybe!?!?) and you get sacked!!!!you work even 12 or 13 hours without having a break!!!!"

"I would have to say they are the worst company I have ever worked for"

"Ryanair are more concerned about sales then passenger saftey. I can't count on ten fingers how many emergency landings i have had due to trying to be early or on time and not working on the technical problem. I think its only a matter of time before some big accident occurs with the company due to there no frills"

"you want comments about our workplace and about our working conditions? ok, what can i say..we are slaves!!!"

"There are some safety issues I would like to highlight. 1. POOR TRAINING: Many crew is not able to understand some safety terms.   2. NO SECURITY CHECKS on the turn arounds most of the times we just have time to collect and offload the rubish, so the aircraft departs ontime without checking that the lifejackets are still under the seats and the floor of the cabin it's never ever check for any suspicious object.

3.FATIGUE: Motivated by very long and consecutive days , OK still inside the law but how many aviation laws and regulations have been changed because of accidents in the past? How many accidents in the past occurred due to crew fatigue? Let's avoid it.

4.CREW CONTROL: Why does this people just stress crew instead of helping us? Their lack of efficiency is widely known and they would never tell you that you are out of hours,furthermore they will question the fact of not compliance with minimun rest!

5.MANAGMENT: This is one of the key factors, now they come with a new rule we can not swop a working day during the whole month of November with a coleague not to stress out Crew Control, they must be very busy.

I wished the JAA would take   note of the comments above. They just need to check it.

Message to all Ryanair people who cares about themselves and about customers:   Let's   make of this company something to be proud of!"

"I understand the low cost model. I understand the need to keep costs down. However, all of this can be achieved still treating your employees with respect."

"THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE!!!I never thought, for one second, after all this time with this company,I would ever see an organisation giving us back our voice..Is it safe to spread the word around?"

"Message: on a recent customer care course for ryanair staff we were told that safety was not number 1 priority anymore it was sales. Can you believe this. Also cabin crew that have been employed   long term by the company were given verbal warnings for sick days even if they were certified by their doctors. Obviously this is a way of trying to get rid of their older more experienced crew who are costing more than the new young Eastern Europeans"

"I worked for Ryanair for three years and as we had a temporary contract for the first year we were treading on eggshells. I have witnessed crew being sacked for having 3 sick days in one year! One friend of mine worked for two months with an ulcer until eventually she started to vomit blood on the aircraft. Other girls have fainted with exhaustion and dehydration."

From ground staff, including reservations personnel:

"I work in ops for 12 hours a day with no break as we are told we dont get one because of the laws in avaition. We are all treated badly and need help now."

"I work in reservations and I am disgusted by the way in which staff and passengers are treated we are paid poorly we were told that we would be paid for every call answered and auxilliary service added to each booking etc but not told that we would not be paid these incentives if we did not make a certain amount of bookings or add aux services and told that we should thank ryanair for a job"

"After working in the airline industry for in excess of XX years, I have never experienced such aggression towards staff as that seen within Ryanair. Getting staff to work harder is fine to a degree, but when bullying tactics are applied, it's time to have a serious re-think. I have witnessed bullying first hand and am strong enough to throw it back but some people don't have that strength and get reduced to tears. It used to be a pleasure to work in the airline industry and for those just starting out will find Ryanair giving them the wrong impression. I have heard cabin crew briefings before boarding the aircraft and safety often does not form part of the pre-flight brief. Sales though, that's a different story. "

From flight crew:

"pilots working in the company be it 1 month or 15 years now have to pay all expenses whilst being converted from the 200 on to the 800. They have to pay their own transport (including airfares - as they are off duty), food and accommodation for the duration of their conversion training 4-6 weeks and during line training. And also sign a 2 year bond.

Also bear in mind that they will not be paid sector pay whilst training either - this will bring the cost directly to the pilot of over 4000.

What other company would send an employee away for training and expect them to pay for their own transport, food and accommodation on top of all the other annual expenses now incurred.

They have reached a new low in employee relations"

"Contracts within Ryanair arnt worth the paper they are printed on. The company changes the terms as they see fit and if you dont like it you can leave. Its a disgrace. The ONLY thing that drives Ryanair is its persuit of the almighty dollar. A business should care about its employies Ryanair doesnt at all. All they care about is that they are cheap. We (Flight Deck) have have veiled threats as to what will hapen if we vote BALPA in"

Website analysis for www.ryan-be-fair.org as at 10/1/05.

Hits

Total Hits: 527,741
Average Hits per Day: 3,614
Average Hits per Visitor: 10.25

Page Views

Total Page Views: 132,518
Average Page Views per Day: 907
Average Page Views per Visitor: 2.57

Visitors

Total Visitors: 51,487
Average Visitors per Day: 352

ENDS