01 Sep 2004 -
Ryan-Be-Fair

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11th March 2005

A pilot who has worked for Ryanair for almost 20 years has won a High Court injunction in Ireland which prevents the company from pursuing disciplinary action against him, pending the outcome of the hearing of the pilot’s full court action against Ryanair. This case, the latest in a string of legal action pending against Ryanair across Europe, suggests that Mr Goss is not the only one to take issue with the airline’s practices.

Ryanair brought disciplinary action against Mr Goss, claiming that he had made threatening phone calls to pilots based in Stansted, warning them off working on the new Dublin based planes. Mr Goss denied these claims.

Justice Kelly granted an interlocutory injunction restraining the operation of the disciplinary action taken by Ryanair until the full hearing in the matter. The judge, who made no findings of fact at this stage, said however that there were “disquieting aspects” about the procedures adopted by Ryanair.

Mr Goss is claiming that the disciplinary action was brought against him as a result of his trade union membership and because he brought a complaint of victimisation against the airline. Justice Kelly acknowledged the anti-union stance of the airline through statements that were read to the court, although Ryanair denied that Mr Goss was victimised.

This is another significant step in the right direction. It shows that it is possible for individuals to challenge Ryanair and that the company’s bullying tactics will not be tolerated, especially when employees want to exercise their union rights.

For full story, see the Irish Times, 1st March 2005.