Madam, - Paul Fitzsimmons, Head of Communications at Ryanair (August 7th), stands over claims made by the company in newspaper advertisements on July 18th that CIÉ closed down that day because of the "No-Fares Day" protest by staff. As your readers well know, CIÉ services ran normally on July 18th, but staff refused to collect fares in protest at plans by the Minister for Transport to break up the public transport company and privatise many of its routes.
Mr Fitzsimmons claims that the refusal by staff to collect fares is the same as closing down services. If nothing else, his comments help explain the thinking of a company that levies airport charges on passengers who fail to turn up for flights.
I note he fails to respond to the substantive point I made in my letter of July 28th about the dangers of a major company being able to use its enormous media resources to distort facts in the debate on the future of public transport in this country - all in the narrow interests of growing its own share of the market. - Yours, etc.,
PADRAIG YEATES, Balkill Road, Howth, Dublin 13.
Madam, - Paul Fitzsimmons considers that if CIÉ makes no money because the staff refuse to collect fares, then it is "closure for the day".
On the contrary, closure occurs when a company does not serve its customers.
CIÉ's customers were served that day, so it certainly wasn't a closure. For a change, employees could make their point to their employer without creating problems for the customers! Mr Fitzsimmons uses the name of God. In fact, he speaks in the name of Mammon. - Yours, etc.,
JOSS LYNAM, Ardilea Estate, Dublin 14.