‘We’ll play fair, Ryanair’ – global unions respond to airline’s recognition decision
The European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) and International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), who represent workers in all the major players in Europe’s aviation industry, including Ryanair, have welcomed Ryanair’s statement today that it will change its “long standing policy of not recognizing unions”– and have issued a challenge to the airline to play fair from now on.
Joint Press Statement of ETF, ATCEUC and IFATSEA
Brussels, 26 September 2017
The undersigned ATM Professional Staff Organisations note with great regret yet another attack of Airlines for Europe (A4E) on the European Air Traffic Management in the form of a joint letter of A4E member airlines’ CEOs to the European Air Navigation Service providers (ANSPs). The letter enumerates a number of ATM-related issues as cause for the delays. We understand that delays and lack of capacity might be frustrating but every day ANSPs and their staff are doing the utmost to deliver safe and quality services to airlines and their passengers.
While recognising the constraints we as professional staff representatives believe that Europe should be proud of its ATM system. Given the different cultural and national backgrounds it is remarkable that we have been able to build a cooperative system that delivers such an incredibly high level of safety and efficiency. A4E, on the contrary, is very selective in terms of the numbers they portray as hard facts, demonstrating a self-centred point of view only directed at profit margins rather than at offering true benefits for the European citizens.
The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and the European Transport Workers’
Federation (ETF) today warned that Ryanair’s business model of outsourcing and the rejection of staff requests for better conditions and union representation is putting the airline’s future in doubt.
The ITF revealed that, following the defeat for Ryanair/Crewlink at the European Court of
Justice last week, it has been approached by a number of investors who are concerned by
analysts’ estimates that compliance with the judgement will increase Ryanair’s labour costs by
up to 20 percent – leading them to question the sustainability of its aggressive and cost-cutting
business model.
“I am proud of being a woman,” declared the EU Commissioner for transport Violeta Bulc at the one-day conference “Women in Transport” organized by the European Commission on April 21 this year in Brussels. The participants were also addressed by Ines Ayala Sender, member of the Transport Committee of the European Parliament. Besides institutions, representatives of social partners, NGOs, research and marketing environments took part to the event. On behalf of FTTUB there were Daniela Zlatkova, member of the Women’s Committee of the European Transport Workers Federation and Mila Nikolova, expert on gender equality policies.
The conference discussed the conclusions of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) official opinion “Women and Transport”, Прочети още
Despite massive opposition both from the United States and Europe, the US Department of Transport (DOT) issued last Friday an order that would tentatively grant Norwegian Air International (NAI) a foreign air carrier permit, unless disapproved by the President of the United States. The international Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF), representing the interests of aviation workers Europe-wide and globally, strongly deplore this decision threatening thousands of jobs and call upon the US President Obama and Secretary of Transportation Foxx to reverse this order. Прочети още
On the occasion of the contract signed on 23 December 2015 by the CEO for “Complex cleaning of buildings and adjacent sites and areas of Sofia Airport” and in relation to the media coverage of the dissatisfaction of employees engaged in the cleaning activities there, the Federation of Transport Trade Unions in Bulgaria (FTTUB) considers it necessary to reaffirm its clear position on the case.
This position dates back to 2013 when outsourcing of cleaning services was successfully stopped thanks to the efforts of FTTUB, and it has not changed to this day.
Immediately after the judgment of the Supreme Administrative Court of 16 October 2015 FTTUB took prompt action and wrote two letters to the CEO of Sofia Airport demanding for an urgent meeting on which to inform social partners about the intentions of the management regarding the above decision and to discuss options before taking any further action. Our two letters dated 16 October and 2 December 2015 did not receive any response and all our efforts to get in touch were disregarded.
We firmly declare that we consider this fact a gross violation of social partnership, a ruthless breach of the commitments to mutual respect and an open disregard for the arrangements for transparency in decision-making concerning the fate of the workers.
We are puzzled by some facts, including the mere act of the hasty signing of the contract in the eve before Christmas with a complete lack of transparency of intent. Прочети още
On 25 September, the Confederation of the Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria hosted a formal meeting with the Permanent Representative of the World Bank in Bulgaria Tony Thompson in a time when our country expects its detailed analysis of the state of the economy. Brief overview of key data and conclusions was presented by Mr. Thompson in his presentation “Bulgaria’s potential for sustainable growth and shared prosperity.” It outlined the parameters of development, which obviously the World Bank considers advisable.
The European Social Partners for Maritime Transport – the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) and the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) – presented a joint position paper on the Commission’s Mid-Term Maritime Strategy Review. Прочети още
In the begging of May the EP TRAN Committee resumed its work on the proposed Regulation on market access to port services and financial transparency of ports (PSR). The meeting was attended by an ETF delegation which included union officials and workers in cargo handling and other port services from Belgium, France, Germany and the UK. Прочети още
THOUSANDS OF LIVES WILL BE LOST IN THE MEDITERRANEAN UNLESS EU GOVERNMENTS TAKE URGENT ACTION, SAY SHIPOWNER GROUPS AND SEAFARER UNIONS
European and global operators of merchant ships have joined forces with seafarers’ unions to urge EU Member States to take immediate collective action to address the growing humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean Sea.
Since 2014, thousands of people have been attempting the dangerous sea crossing to Europe, from Africa and the Middle East, in overcrowded boats not fit for purpose, with over 3,500 people having already lost their lives. Many are at the mercy of people smugglers. Прочети още
