Sir, - Shame on Ryanair's multi-millionaire executives for their blackleg baggage-handling antics as reported by Padraig Yeates (The Irish Times, January 10th).
It is a complete nonsense that in a mature Western European democracy an employer should be so vindictive as to deny an employee the right to join a trade union. But Ryanair is not just an employer. It is a symbol. It is a child prodigy of the free-enterprise 1980s. It is the flagship of free market economic gurus who see in its very existence the realisation of their political agenda.
It's more than an airline. It's a philosophy. It promotes a culture of loyalty, dedication, enterprise, team spirit. In return the employee gets an equal share of the spoils. That, at least, is the theory.
Here are the facts: Last May's public flotation of Ryanair made more than £64 million for the Ryan family, but only a modest profit-sharing scheme for the employees, leaving handlers at Ryanair earning £2,400 less than their counterparts in Aer Lingus. This so-called profit-sharing is a derisory insult to the workers who contributed much to the success of Ryanair.
The Fine Gael Trade Union Council (FGTUC) consists of grass-roots members of Fine Gael who are also trade union members and activists. We support the right of the Ryanair employees to join a trade union and we call on Ryanair management to recognise that right in a responsible manner. - Yours, etc.,
PRO, FGTUC, Tonlegee Road, Coolock, Dublin 5.