Ryanair pilots have been warned by them not to sign a letter to airline regulators expressing concern that the airline’s employment practices could jeopardise passenger safety. In a memo staff were told they would be guilty of “gross misconduct” and “liable for dismissal” if they signed the letter to the Irish Aviation Authority that regulates Ryanair. The letter was drawn up by the Ryanair Pilot Group (RPG), which represents captains and co-pilots working for the airline but is not recognised by the company.
Pilots are paid for the actual flying work they do but have to pay for all their own expenses, including uniforms, identity cards, transport and hotel accommodation. The contracted pilots have no pension scheme or medical insurance unless they set it up themselves.
One Ryanair pilot said that the company was protected themselves because they could claim that pilots had a legal and moral obligation not to fly if they do not think they are capable. But they added: “People are human and if you’re not going to be paid [if you don’t fly] you might think ‘I can do this, I’m fine. I’ll just get on with it’. You should not have a safety culture based on fear.”
David Learmount, operations and safety editor of Flight International magazine and an expert on aviation, said: “Ryanair are pushing their luck on human factors when they employ pilots like a warlord employs mercenaries. There is the worry that if they are self-employed that might place additional pressures on them to work even if, for any number of reasons, they might not feel entirely fit to do so.”
Flight attendants are employed by Crewlink, a contractor for Ryanair. Cabin crew are obliged to take compulsory unpaid leave in the quieter months – during which they are forbidden to take another job but receive no money. Pay £360 for a Ryanair uniform plus another £1,800 towards a mandatory safety course. Wages are for the hours actually "in the air"and are not paid for pre-flight briefings, turnaround time between flights, sales meetings and time on the ground due to delays and flight cancellations. The hourly flying rate was just £13.07 an hour with no contractual review for three years. Pay is for only four days work a week. The fifth day is on-call, to turn up for work with an hour's notice. Stand-by days were not paid unless called to work. If an employee should leave within the first 15 months of employment, they would be liable for a 200 Euro administration fee.
From the Independent
Pilots are paid for the actual flying work they do but have to pay for all their own expenses, including uniforms, identity cards, transport and hotel accommodation. The contracted pilots have no pension scheme or medical insurance unless they set it up themselves.
One Ryanair pilot said that the company was protected themselves because they could claim that pilots had a legal and moral obligation not to fly if they do not think they are capable. But they added: “People are human and if you’re not going to be paid [if you don’t fly] you might think ‘I can do this, I’m fine. I’ll just get on with it’. You should not have a safety culture based on fear.”
David Learmount, operations and safety editor of Flight International magazine and an expert on aviation, said: “Ryanair are pushing their luck on human factors when they employ pilots like a warlord employs mercenaries. There is the worry that if they are self-employed that might place additional pressures on them to work even if, for any number of reasons, they might not feel entirely fit to do so.”
Flight attendants are employed by Crewlink, a contractor for Ryanair. Cabin crew are obliged to take compulsory unpaid leave in the quieter months – during which they are forbidden to take another job but receive no money. Pay £360 for a Ryanair uniform plus another £1,800 towards a mandatory safety course. Wages are for the hours actually "in the air"and are not paid for pre-flight briefings, turnaround time between flights, sales meetings and time on the ground due to delays and flight cancellations. The hourly flying rate was just £13.07 an hour with no contractual review for three years. Pay is for only four days work a week. The fifth day is on-call, to turn up for work with an hour's notice. Stand-by days were not paid unless called to work. If an employee should leave within the first 15 months of employment, they would be liable for a 200 Euro administration fee.
From the Independent
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