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Ryanair hits turbulence as workers resist O’Leary aggression

16 October 2006

Ryanair is facing industrial action in two countries as its workers reject managing director Michael O’Leary’s aggressive reactions to their attempts to gain a voice.

Industrial action is taking place in Spain and Italy:

In Italy, in an attempt to limit the inconvenience to the public while still letting O’Leary know how they feel, workers are refusing to sell the non-essential ‘extras’ such as hot drinks, food, and alcohol, that contribute so much to the company’s profits (€115.7 million after tax last year). They have however guaranteed that water will be sold in the fully-lawful protest. Workers are protesting after they joined a union to represent them, only to have Ryanair refuse to talk to a third party and try to transfer the staff their colleagues had nominated as their union representatives. For more details please contact Stefano Pietrini of the Fit Cisl Comparto Volo union on telephone +39 392 533 18 33, email stefano.pietrini@cisl.it
In Spain ground handling staff will be taking strike action from 16 October, culminating in a 24 hour strike on 23 October. This follow what their union describes as the company persistently ignoring negotiated agreements, the right to join a union and even statutory requirements. For more details please contact Enrique CARMONA of the Comisiones Obreras (CC.OO.) union on telephone +34 650 925 233, email aereo-internacional@fct.ccoo.es.

Ingo Marowsky, Secretary of the ITF’s Civil Aviation Section, commented: “Discontent is never far from the surface at Ryanair, where workers feel mistrusted, marginalised and mistreated. Once again Michael O’Leary’s bombast and bullying has brought it bubbling to the surface, and he is going to have to either accept the consequences or learn to behave like any other normal, civilised, twenty-first century employer.

He continued: “With this kind of reaction to his tactics it is no surprise that O’Leary’s attempted takeover of Aer Lingus has been greeted with such opposition.”

The ITF has set up a special website where Ryanair workers can share experiences free from the fear of retribution: www.ryan-be-fair.org

ENDS

For more information contact ITF press department, Sarah Finke.
Direct line: + 44 (0)20 7940 9258.
Email: finke_sarah@itf.org.uk

International Transport Workers' Federation - ITF:
HEAD OFFICE
ITF House, 49 - 60 Borough Road, London SE1 1DS
Tel: + 44 (0) 20 7403 2733
Fax: + 44 (0) 20 7375 7871
Email: mail@itf.org.uk
Web: www.itfglobal.org

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