1. travel
2. transports
3. air travel
4. airlines

The clash between the ethics of working conditions
within the national airline industry
Bachelor thesis in International Social Science
Afnan Azzouz (49597), Annette Graae Holm (49276), Joanna Thue Cudjoe (50017) &
Sara Malene Justesen (50409)
Number of characters: 154.380
Supervisor: Jacob Rendtorff
27th of May, 2015
Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Summary
This research paper examines how Ryanair can challenge the Danish working conditions in the national airline
industry, by not accepting to make collective agreements with Danish labor unions, considered the working
conditions of its employees.
In order to reach this, an analysis of how it is possible for Ryanair to operate as a business in regards to its
employees is conducted. The research is going to be conducted by means of the stakeholder theory that
functions as a theoretical framework and gives a deeper insight of Ryanair’s stakeholders and their influence
on the business. Furthermore EU is considered as a main stakeholder, which led the project to investigate the
role of EU. Additionally, a more comprehensive focus on the stakeholder group, consumers, will be given
as they were considered to have the greatest influence on Ryanair’s success. It was proven from a survey, that
consumers prioritize price highest when buying flight tickets. However, the survey also concluded that
enlightenment about Ryanair's working conditions made the consumer to reconsider buying the lowprice tickets from Ryanair.
However the project discuss the possibilities of the consumers behavior in public compared to private, as one
cannot escape the fact that Ryanair continues to be the most successful company in the European airline
industry. However the project has provided evidences that makes the researchers of this project to reconsider
Ryanair's future success on the market, due to the proven impact of the consumers as a major stakeholder
group.
The project concludes that in order to prevent this from happing, it requires among other things the EU to form
a common law that gives companies specific requirements when operating in the specific member state.
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Table of Contents
Summary ..................................................................................................................................................... 1
Introduction................................................................................................................................................. 4
Problem area................................................................................................................................................ 4
Research question ........................................................................................................................................ 6
Working questions........................................................................................................................................ 6
Research design............................................................................................................................................ 7
Bibliography............................................................................................................................................... 60
Books..................................................................................................................................................... 60
Thesis..................................................................................................................................................... 61
Websites ................................................................................................................................................ 62
Interviews: ............................................................................................................................................. 65
Others.................................................................................................................................................... 65
Appendix...................................................................................................................................................... 1
I: Interview with Henrik Bay Clausen from 3F.............................................................................................. 1
II: Interview with Anders Mark Jensen from FPU....................................................................................... 12
III: Timeline ............................................................................................................................................ 15
IV: Survey data analysis: .......................................................................................................................... 21
V: Transcription of interview with former Ryanair employee Alessandra Cocca........................................... 38
VI: Price differences ................................................................................................................................ 49
VII: Ryanair’s job advertisement .............................................................................................................. 51
- See more at: http://corporate.ryanair.com/careers/#sthash.JVs94Dlt.dpuf ............................... 52
CABIN CREW RECRUITMENT........................................................................................................... 52
CABIN CREW CAREERS................................................................................................................ 52
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Introduction
The Irish airline company Ryanair has in March 2015 opened a base in Copenhagen Airport. Due to the
company's reputation in regards to selling tickets with very low prices; many Danes have had their attention
towards the expanding business. However, Ryanair is also having bad reputation concerning its way of treating
its employees, which have caused debates about the issues it is providing Danish working conditions and are in
the interest of this project to study.
Problem area
In recent years, there have been various debates in the Danish society, concerning the Danes' opinion in
regards to child labor, fair trade, social dumping, etc., thus in general their position towards working
conditions. One of the heavily debated issues is Ryanair's attempt to expand their business to the Copenhagen
airport in 2015 without wanting to make a collective agreement with Danish labor unions. The reason for this
being an issue is due to several aspects. The first is that, having a collective agreement between workers
and employers is a Danish tradition, and thereby has a nationally ingrained significance in the Danish society.
This leads
to the second aspect, which
others, politicians
and
labor
is
the foundation
unions; and that
of Ryanair's received criticism from among
is the fact
that
Ryanair has working
conditions that are below the Danish standards and is labeled as social dumping1.
Despite that conflicts between foreign companies and workers are not something new in Denmark, the case of
Ryanair is standing out due to it being the largest airline company in Europe, which therefore has caught the
media’s attention from day one, while other conflicts have not been given the same attention (Henrik BayClausen, 3F Interview - see Appendix I). The fact that a company like Ryanair has been this successful in profit
maximizing, even though it is known for providing low working conditions for its employ leads one to consider
the how the business operates. Since Tony Ryan founded Ryan air in 1985 the business has since then been
continually growing in regards to customers and profit. Today it is the largest airline-company within Europe,
which operates more than 1600 daily flights from 72 bases, connecting 189 destinations in 30 countries. In
1985 Ryanair had 5000 passengers in total and in 2013 it had grown to 81,668,285 passengers2 . However, this
success is despite the fact that Ryanair has been a company that have been having conflicts with almost al l the
1
http://www.flyvebranchen.dk/nyheder/2015/02/dlf-stoetter-flyvebranchens-personale-unions-(fpu)-bestraebelser-paaat-indgaa-overenskomst-med-ryanair/ - Last accessed: 27.05.2015
2
http://corporate.ryanair.com/about-us/history-of-ryanair/ - Last accessed: 27.05.2015
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
European countries in which it has established a base where a lot of he conflicts have been concerning
Ryanair's treatment of the employees in terms of working conditions. This leads the project to consider how it
is possible for Ryanair to operate as it does and still be this successful in order to due this the stakeholder
theory by Freeman has been chosen as way to explain which factors that are affecting Ryanair and are
important for the business to consider, namely he stakeholders.
Within the considerations of the stakeholder related to the case of Ryanair in Denmark, labor unions have been
proven to be a major factor within the problem. This is due to the Danish labor unions interest in the
employees working conditions; however the interest is not mutual, as Ryanair rejects any agreements for its
employees.
Therefore, Danish labor unions have from the beginning of Ryanair's announcement of moving to Copenhagen
been concerned for the conditions of the employee. It has lead to a debate of the challenges the Danish model
is facing, - a model, which have been proved to be close in the minds of Danes 3 .
As Anders Mark Jensen from the "Flyvebranchens Personal Union" (FPU) is stating; "It is of course also about,
how they (Ryanair) is bringing the working conditions towards the employees to the Danish model, which
creates a clash" (Anders Mark Jensen, FPU Interview - see Appendix II).
This clash in working conditions have also been described with the term, namely; Social Dumping, which is
what Ryanair is accused of causing in the airline industry. Thereby one needs to consider what can lead to the
problems of the case of Ryanair in Denmark, in other words, what can lead to Ryanair is accused of causing
social dumping.
EU has established the market, within Ryanair is operating, through regulations have created what is known as
the single market, which is build on the four freedom and have the aim to break down tariffs and restrictions
on other EU member states (Cini, 2013). However, can it be possible to trace back in the history of the
development of this single market, in order to find evidence that can prove the role of EU in regards to social
dumping? Are
the key
points
of
the
single
market, namely; free
movement
of
labor,
mutual recognition and judicial activism directly related to the cause of business ability to using
social dumping?
3
Fokus, Newspaq, Ritzau : Meningsmåling: Flest danskere vil bevare den danske model . In: Fagbladet 3f, 20.05.2015, p. 1-1. Available
at: http://www.fagbladet3f.dk/nyheder/3b8747ba2fac49028d6614daec585f4a -20150520-meningsmling-flest-danskere-vilbevare-den-danske-model Last accessed:27.05.2015
Page 5 of 121
Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
It is known that one stakeholder group of Ryanair has grown within its history, namely; customers. Is it
however possible for this group to affect Ryanair's strategy when it comes to it management of
relationship towards its stakeholders, or should the problem of social dumping practical used by Ryanair, be
prevented fro higher instances such as EU?
The above issues of the case of Ryanair in Denmark, leads the project to the research question:
Research question
How is it possible for Ryanair to challenge the Danish working conditions in the national airline
industry and how can this be prevented?
Working questions
1. How is Ryanair operating as a business and handling their stakeholders’ relationships?
This question is made in order to identify the different stakeholder groups' that have an influence on Ryanair's
low-price strategy, which will lead to an analysis of how the different stakeholder groups affect Ryanair's
position towards managing its relationship to its employees, in terms of working conditions.
2. How can the single market within the European Union contribute to social dumping and how can Ryanair
utilize it?
It is necessary to analyze upon how it is possible for Ryanair to operate as it does today in regards to its
employees by finding evidence from the liberal market as it is this stakeholder group that has set up the rules
for companies to operate across borders in the EU member countries. This knowledge is crucial in order to get
a full understanding of the issue and thereby needs to be elaborated on.
3. What do consumers consider as important when buying airplane tickets?
This question focuses on the stakeholder group 'consumers' as the previous working question has proved that
it is the only stakeholder group that is, both a necessary and sufficient factor for Ryanair’s ability to operate as
it does. If this stakeholder group prioritizes the employees’ working conditions highly then it will have an effect
on Ryanair’s management of the employees. Furthermore, the analysis of this question will lead the project to
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
a discussion of the relationship between the consumers and employees of Ryanair to see whether there is a
chance for the consumers to care more about the employees when getting enlightened and if so, what will the
consequences for Ryanair in the perspective of creating value in the future be.
Research design
To provide a comprehensive structure of this study, the project has been divided into three working questions,
which all examine a separate aspect of the research question. In so, a holistic view upon the situation of
Ryanair in Denmark should be achieved.
Each working question after being analyzed will provide different part-conclusion that will lead the project to a
discussion of how Ryanair may challenge the Danish working conditions and how this can be prevented. Based
on this discussion, the research question will be answered in a final conclusion .
Methodology
Philosophy of Social Science - Critical Realism Paradigm
Epistemology is about how knowledge is gained to understand a specific situation and it concerns the question
of
what
is
perceived
as
acceptable
knowledge (Bryman,
project utilizes an eclectic realist and interpretive epistemology known
from
2008:
critical
13). This
realism, with
the purpose of providing an account of the nature of scientific practices (Bryman, 2008: 14).
Critical realism shares the fundamental understanding of realism, which believes that there exist an objective
reality. However the objective reality is according to critical realism's ontology transcendental realistic,
which Bashkar argues consists of three
dimensions;
1). Researchers
empirical
are
working in the
the empirical, the actual
layer, from where they
can
and the real strata (Fig.
interpret the
actual
reality where e.g. social events occur and happens. From the actual reality, it is possible to understand
elements of the real reality, which is also interpreted by the researchers (Easton, 2010: 119, 123). Furthermore,
the paradigm believes that there exists a truth which can be found by identifying the structures and generative
mechanisms that creates the society. There is an acknowledgement that, both qualitative and quantitative
methods can be used to identify structures and generative mechanisms within the society. In other
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
words, the means to find the truth should be the same whether it is natural or social science (Bryman, 2008:
14). Thus, the empirical is the researchers that are examining the actual, which is the case of Ryanair
operating in Denmark. This actual reality is part of the real as the researchers are researching upon a case that
is a part of understanding the world.
Fig. 1
However, only some elements of the real reality or the "independent truth" can be found, which means that
even though a reality is found it is only the truth until it is falsified by empirical data. Thus, it is important to
clarify that according to critical realism, it is never possible to verify a hypothesis, only to falsify. Therefore the
project’s hypotheses can only be falsified or accepted as the temporary true, by the empirical data. This does
not limit the researchers but gives an awareness that the findings and the product of this research
paper are solely a conclusion of that (Bryman, 2008: 14-15).
What characterizes critical realism is its manifesto, which recognizes the objective reality, but also the events
and discourses of the social world. However the events and discourses of the social world can only be
understood if we identify the structures that create these events and discourses. The structures are not
apparent in the empirical data and can only be identified through the practical and theoreti cal work of social
science (Bryman, 2008: 14). In other words, what distinguishes critical realism from positivism is the
acknowledgement of minor pieces, called the generative mechanisms, that creates the reality in the social
world and which is possible to find by means of natural and social science. Through an empirical study, these
generative mechanisms can be found, and when they are found the researchers are able to change these and
thereby also the reality of the social world (Bryman, 2008: 15). To put it in context with the chosen topic, the
research question "How is it possible for Ryanair to challenge the Danish working conditions in the national
airline industry and how can this be prevented?" can provide the Danes and the world with the challenges that
Page 8 of 121
Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
are studied and concluded upon and give a possibility to understand the roots of the issue and thereby a
solution
to
how
it
can
be
prevented
and
solved.
The chosen philosophy of social science, should not be perceived as a way of limiting the researchers, but it
provides the project with a structured way of how to understand what Is knowledge, and also what the
knowledge can tell about the problem of inquiry. Most important, the conclusion of the project will as stated
above not be the objective truth, but can provide the researchers and others with an understanding of some of
the world.
Research Approach
This research paper takes a deductive approach since the project will study a specific case by investigating it by
using a theory related to the subject. Furthermore, one hypothesis are deduced and must be subjected to
empirical scrutiny (Bryman, 2008; 9) . The knowledge can be gained by means of theoretical considerations,
and will be formulated into operational concepts in those hypotheses. Operational concepts are when the
researchers clarify how empirical data can be collected in order to reject or accept the
hypotheses. Furthermore the researchers' background knowledge of the problem of inquiry, can be changed by
means of the knowledge that is gained through data collection or while analyzing these data. This point is
crucial to mention, as many think of deduction as a linear approach, but it is not always the case in those
studies (Bryman, 2008: 9). The process to get to the final research question has been prolonged since there are
many variables in relation to the case of Ryanair in Denmark which is an actual and still ongoing
case.However,one can argue that the researchers are using an inductive approach when it comes to the
quantitative methods that are used in this project, but the overall approach is still deductive (Bryman,2008:911). The main hypothesis states that the single market in EU contributes to social dumping which Ryanair takes
advantage of. Thereafter, the research was carried out by collecting data regarding the EU laws on
the single market
and
what
it
says
about companies
operating
in
other
EU
member
countries. Furthermore, research on how Ryanair operates has been examined through its stakeholders by
using the stakeholder theory and deduce several hypothesizes, in which the researchers believe to be crucial in
order to understand the issue and derive a conclusion. This means that the project goes from a broad
theory into using it
in
context
of the specific
case,
Ryanair
in
Denmark, to
understand
it thoroughly. This leads to a discussion and conclusion where the main hypothesis will be either accepted or
falsified. Since the philosophy of social science in this project is critical realism, it is again crucial to clarify
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
that any hypothesis in this project will not be verified, only accepted as the temporary truth. (Bryman, 2008)
Case Study
According to John Gerring, the case study method is correctly understood as a particular way of defining cases,
not a way of analyzing cases or a way of modeling causal relations. The project is investigating a paradigmatic
case, due to the fact that this sort of case is concerning an object that is the exemplar within the field this is
suitable in this project since Ryanair is distinguished from the other companies within its field.
Process tracing as an applied method
Process tracing is a qualitative analytical tool within case study. The method is chosen to be the dominated
applied method and will help the project to investigate evidence in order to give a valid conclusion of the
research question. According to Collier, the method is defined as being “a systematic examination of diagnostic
evidence selected and analyzed in the light of research questions and hypotheses posed by the investigator”
(Collier, 2011: 823). The researchers have a general idea, based on the prior knowledge, of what phenomena
that are related to Ryanair such as consumers, employees, the European Union, labor unions – all examples of
stakeholders. Furthermore the phenomena are seen as meriting analytical attention, if the researchers
consider that the phenomenon has an effect on the quality of the project's conclusion. This is decided by
considering the consequences of the phenomena being excluded from the subject matter.
But how can the researchers identify those phenomena from prior knowledge and make sure that their
absence in the project will affect the quality of the project? Collier stress a key point within process tracing,
more specific, a tool of causal inference – that the method focuses on the unfolding of events or situations over
time related to the case of inquiry (Collier, 2011). The reason why Collier stresses the importance of presenting
a series of specific moments related to the case, is, that in order to characterize a process, the researchers
must be able to characterize key steps in the process (Collier, 2011).
Even though process tracing is a qualitative method, it can in some cases rely on quantitative information. This
means that for this project, both qualitative and quantitative data were collected; interviews, reports etc., but
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
also a quantitative survey. The main point of the method is that it is based on hypotheses, which are made on
the basis of the prior knowledge of the researchers. In making those hypotheses, three steps are taken;



Specification of hypotheses
Distinctions among test
Assumptions and interpretations.
Specification of hypotheses is the first step in finding the most appropriate tests for those hypotheses used in
the method. The different tests are as followers in the right order.





Straw-in-the-Wind test
Hoop tests
Smoking-Gun tests
Double Decisive tests
Causal-Sequence Framework: Auxiliary Outcome Test
What characterize the specification of hypotheses is to find sufficient and necessary factors, which can be put in
the overall hypothesis of the project; "Ryanair has an influence on the working conditions of national airline
industry". Therefore, the researchers should consider different factors, that can be either sufficient or
necessary or both and can be used in order to formulate various hypotheses. The researchers’ prior knowledge
is important which is why a timeline of Ryanair’s events has been conducted in Appendix III. The timeline
describes events that can be used to investigate the causal inference of the project's cas e, which means that
events related to Ryanair but are unrelated to the case of Ryanair in Denmark are excluded (Collier, 2011:
825).
Second step, distinctions among test is where the researchers look at the evidence from the time-line to
distinguish what test can be used on what hypothesis. The choice of test depends on the sufficient and
necessary factors of the hypothesis. What can be deduced from the tests is differen t. The tests are classified
according to whether passing the test as necessary and/or sufficient for accepting the inference. Based on
these criteria, if a given hypothesis passes a straw-in-the- wind test, it only slightly weakens rival hypotheses;
with hoop tests it somewhat weakens them; with smoking-gun tests it substantially weakens them; and with
doubly
decisive
tests
passing
eliminates
them
(Collier,
2011).
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Assumptions and interpretationsare the third step where the evidence are considered in details. The different
hypotheses are tested by process tracing through different events from the timeline and are interpreted in
depth. For instance, if the researchers make a weak assumption about that a given event or other piece of
evidence may be a coincidence, the researchers should be more cautious in the conclusion about accepting or
rejecting the hypotheses. However, if it is a stronger assumption, which is based on prior knowledge, that the
event is not a coincidence, then the conclusion about accepting or rejecting the hypothesis will
be different (Collier, 2011: 826).
Data collection
As stated earlier, according to critical realism, the approach to collecting data is the same whether it is natural
or social science. Therefore, both quantitative and qualitative methods were used, also called mixed
method. The quantitative data have been collected by a quantitative method, which consists of the selfconducted survey which has been analyzed by means of statistical programs. This data collection is more
related to the positivistic approach of the project, as the quantitative data are perceived as empirical data that
can be observed by using the senses. In order to make a questionnaire it is important to consider how
questions are formulated in order to make them available as quantitative data.
The
qualitative data
collections that have been used are both semi-structured
interviews and in
the interpretation of reports and articles. The researchers recognizes that generative mechanisms construct
the reality that the project tries to find and is shown through the acknowledgement of interpretivism as an
approach to study qualitative data. Thereby qualitative data where collected by the means of those
above mentioned qualitative methods.
Expert- and semi-structured interviews
Interviews are one of the used qualitative methods within the project. Having interviews is an useful method in
a project research, as it makes it possible to investigate upon an issue in depth by discovering how the specific
individuals perceive the specific issues given. Interviews can provide different understandings and angles, since
each interviewee will give arguments from their expertise area. Expert interviews were chosen, as the
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
interviewees are used as representatives of their organization, party or working field and therefore has a
special knowledge and experiences about their expertise area that suits this research paper 4.
Furthermore, there are different types of interviews and this project will make use of the semi-structured
interview. Starting by formulating a series of questions as the general interview questions, which later will
be accustomed to each of the interviewees. Thus the questions might vary since the questions are to fit
perfectly with the specific interviewees’ expertise area, in order to utilize and get the most out of their
knowledge upon the topic. A great advantage of semi-structured interviews is that the interviewer has room
for latitude, which means that the interviewer can ask further questions in response to significant answers
from the interviewees (Bryman, 2008: 196).
It is important to clarify that even though the researchers have made use of semi-structured interviews, it have
made sure that the interviews were not too structured. As to create a relaxed atmosphere instead of just
having the interviewer asking several specific questions to the interviewee. Thus, extra room were provided for
the interviewees to talk freely and be as detailed as possible about the specific situation. Hence an argument
for not setting a timeframe for the interviews.
Interview process
An overview of how the interview process has been handled will be explained in two different stages.
First stage: The researchers are to determine what information is required in order to ensure useful
information from the interviews. The information was to provide more knowledge and thereby a deeper
understanding of:

Within Ryanair: A former worker telling about the working conditions and how the Ryanair operates

Views from labor-unions: What is the main criticism? What is wished to be fought and changed?
4
Li tti g, Beate: Expert Interviews. Methodology and Practice. In: UTA, Lecure Slides, 17.09.2013, pp. 128. Ava i lable a t: http://www.uta.fi/iasr/lectures/index/17.9.2013_Beate%20Littig_Tampere%20Expert-Intervi ews.pdf La st accessed:
27.05.2015
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
The researchers of this project made sure to ask the interviewees about whether they preferred to preserve
anonymity in the project paper or not and whether they were al l right with being recorded or not. This was due
to create a professional and trustful relation.
Second stage: A decision upon the data collection method and place and length of the interviews. We wished
to have face-to-face interviews in order to have a real conversation. We did not want to give a time limit of the
interview since we wanted as detailed answers as possible. Lastly the interviews were transcribed (Bryman,
2008:473-477).
The interviewees
We were interested in having views within Ryanair and outside Ryanair and agreed on selecting three interview
ees:

Alessandra Cocca who is a formeremployee of Ryanair, stewardess.

Henrik Bak Clausen from Fagligt Fælles Forbund 3F, that is Denmark's biggest labor union
with wage agreements on more jobs than any other union in Denmark 5 .

Flybranchens Personale Union, FPU that is an aircraft staff union of pilots, cabin crew, helicopter pilots
and afis operators in Denmark and Greenland 6.
Survey
There are many aspects and
steps for conducting a survey. However, only the two following steps will be explained:
1. What we aim at getting out from the survey
2. Issues involved in selecting individuals for our survey research
5
3f: Om 3f. Publ ished by 3f. La st updated: 1.1.2015. Internetadress: http://www.3f.dk/om-3f - Last vi sited: 27.05.2015 (Internet)
6
Fl ybra nchen: Om FPU. Published by Flybranchen. Last updated: 1.1.2015. Internetadress:http://www.flyvebranchen.dk/om-fpu/ - La s t
vi s i ted: 27.05.2015 (Internet)
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
The purpose of the conducted survey is to contribute to the analysis and discussion of Danes' flight habits and
their
opinion
of
Ryanair,
thus
their perception as
potential consumers
of
Ryanair.
The survey is divided into five subject sections. The first section is about the respondent's background. The
second section is about the respondents' flight habits in terms of what type of journeys they have and how
long they are. The purpose with it, is to investigate, what consumers prioritize mostly when buying flight
tickets . The third section is about the respondents' awareness and sense of responsibility. This is to have an
idea of how much Danes think about the circumstances behind the products they buy, such as social dumping
and child labor. The aim was to know more about the respondents ethical standpoints, when it comes to
purchasing. This in order to see, if there is a chance of that Ryanair could loose consumers who perceive
themselves as conscious. The fourth consists of a single question regarding what role and position the
respondents believe that the Danish labor unions should have, which will be used to check if
their opinion stems with the labor unions' current position, or if the role of the labor union should be
reconsidered. This leads to the fifth section that is about Ryanair and whether an airline's reputation has an
impact
on
the
consumers or not.
Here the respondents were informed about Ryanair's working
conditions and in order to determine whether knowledge would influence their willingness to buy. Thus, the
survey will in general help us to accept or falsify the hypothesis that "Danes care more about price than any
other category”.
The construction of
the survey and
the reasons and hypothesizes behind the different questions are visualized in the following tables to give a
more manageable understanding of the purpose of the survey, and what is expected to be analyzed upon.
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
No.
Question
Questions about you:
Q1
Age
Q2
Occupation
Q3
Annual income before tax
Q4
Level of Education
G enera l l y a bout a i r tra vel s :
Q5
In what connection do you
fly?
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Hypothes i s
Method
Reason
Multiple
choice: Pick
one
Multiple
choice: Pick
one
Multiple
choice: Pick
one
Multiple
choice: Pick
one
To figure out the age range of
the respondents
Multiple
choice: Pick
one
To find out in what connection
the respondents fly
The experience with flights influences the
overall opinion about different flight
companies and what one finds important
when flying
To figure what the respondents
occupation is
To figure out the range of the
respondents income
The respondents’ general background can
have an influence on their answers to the
following questions
To figure out what the level of
education of the respondents
are
Q6
How many times have you
flown within the last 3
years?
Slider
To find out how experienced
the respondents are with air
travels
The experience with flights, can have an
influence, on what is valued on these
flights (Q8)
Q7
How long is the length of
your flights?
Multiple
choice: Pick
one
Multiple
choice: Pick
max. 3
Determine length of flights
Determine the values of the
respondents
The length of flights, can have an
influence, on what is valued on these
flights (Q8)
The respondents’ values when flying, can
influence the airline company chosen
Multiple
choice: Pick
one
To find out if the purpose for
traveling as an influence on the
respondents flight habits
The choice of destination might have an
influence on the respondents flight habits,
in relation it other factors
Slider
To find out how experienced
the respondents are with air
travels
The experience with flights, can have an
influence, on what is valued on these
flights (Q12/Q15)
Q8
What do you value the
most when flying workrelated?
Pri va te a i r tra vel s
Q9
What are the primary
reasons for your private
flight travels?
Q10
How many times have you
flown within the last 3
years?
Q11
How long is the length of
your flights?
Multiple
Determine length of flights
The length of flights, can have an
choice: Pick
influence, on what is valued on these
one
flights (Q12/Q15)
Y ou a s cons um er ( pri va te tra vel s ) – on s hort route s /on m edi um l eng th- a nd l ong routes
Q12/Q15 What do you value the
Multiple
Determine the values of the
The respondents’ values when flying, can
most when flying as a
choice: Pick respondents
influence the airline company chosen
private person?
max. 3
Q13/Q16 What would you pay for
Multiple
To determine the respondent’s This question should somehow be
when buying plane tickets?
choice: Pick value of price
consistent with the respondents answer to
one
the former question (Q12/Q15), and will
indicate if they prioritize values over price
Q14/Q17 Does the reputation of the
Multiple
Enhances the level of the
The notion of this will influence the rest of
airline company influence
choice: Pick respondents as conscious
the respondents answers
your choice of plane ticket? one
consumers
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
No.
Question
Method
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Reason
Hypothesis
The conscious consumer, if valuing proper
working conditions, would let his/her
conscious determine a proper airline
company, thus answering no to wanting to
flying with Ryanair at the moment (Q24 and
Q25)
A conscious consumer would most likely
also to a high degree feel that they could
influence the behavior of companies
Consciousness and responsibility
Q18
Are you a conscious
consumer?
Multiple
choice: Pick
one
To figure out whether ones
conscious dominates ones
choices
Q19
To what degree do you feel
that you, as a consumer, has
a responsibility to ensure
that companies do not use
e.g. child labor/social
dumping?
What do you believe should
be the most important for
an airline company to focus
on?
Multiple
choice: Pick
one
Determine whether the
respondents feel they have a
say in regard to business
decisions
Multiple
choice: Pick
one
To determine the respondents
highest valued subject
Q20
This answer will reflect the respondents
position, in terms of morals
The labor-unions role in the business community
Q21
When is it appropriate for a
labor-union to get involved
in a company’s working
conditions?
Multiple
choice: Pick
several
To figure out what the
respondents believe the labor
unions role should be, and if it
the same as the unions current
role
If the answers to this questions are the
same as the labor unions current role, it will
show that Danes are supporting the Danish
model
Text box
To figure out how enlighten the
respondents are
Knowledge will affect there respondents
answer to Q24. If a true conscious
consumer, the answer to Q24 should be no,
if knowing about the situation of the
company
Own experiences will have an influence on
whether wanting to fly with the company
again
Knowledge about the former questions will
determine the answer to this one
Ryanair as a company
Q22
What do you know about
Ryanair and its employees?
Q23
Have you ever flown with
Ryanair?
Multiple
To figure out if the respondents
choice: Pick has been/are costumers of
one
Ryanair
Q24
If you had the opportunity,
Multiple
Determine whether the
would you fly with Ryanair
choice: Pick
respondents prior to the survey
(again)?
one
would fly with Ryanair
Ryanair has been criticized for not having decent working conditions for their employees. Among others for giving their employees a
monthly salary of 10.000kr before tax, not giving pay during illness/maternity leave, employee paid education and uniforms, a nd having a
resignation fee the first year.
Q25
After being aware of such,
Multiple
To see if the respondents
If the respondents are conscious consumers
would you then buy a ticket
choice: Pick answered has changed after
and/or prioritizes personal believes over
at Ryanair?
one
getting the above information
price, then they would respond no or only if
they change the conditions
Consciousness and responsibility
Q26
How much do you think
consumers can influence
Ryanair on the global
market?
Slider
To see whether their earlier
answers regarding the matter
also applies outside Denmark
This question should somehow be
consistent with the respondents answer to
Q19
Page 17 of 121
Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Sample type and the respondents
As the project concerns the case of Ryanair in Denmark, the survey is about what is perceived as important
when buying flight tickets. This means that a probability sample was used in which there will be made
interferences from information about a random sample of the population from which it was selected. Thus, it
was possible to generalize findings derived from the sample to the population (Bryman, 2008:177). The
questionnaire was reached out through facebook, work-related interportals (Planday), and e-mails.
Furthermore we reached out to more people in public where we handed them out at train stations (Bryman,
2008: 481).
Validity
In many ways, the most important criterion for research is validity. Triangulation is a way of using more than
one method or source of data in the study, in order to cross-check and thereby increase validity of the
research. Triangulation have been used in different ways within this project, namely; researchers-, data and
methods triangulation (Bryman, 2008: 379). In regards to observational triangulation, is mean that the
researchers of the project have interpreted the same results. By analyzing the same case, the researchers were
able to discuss the outcomes and in turn come to a shared conclusion. This type of triangulation has increased
the validity of the findings and arguments made in the project. Moreover, in order to further strengthen the
validity and reliability of the paper, multiple data sources have been employed, such as; articles, thesis/reports
of EU, survey data and statements from interviews. Also the mix of methods, in regards to qualitative and
quantitative, have improved the validity as the combination gets the researcher to exploit several aspects of
the case, as the use of quantitative method leads the project to findings that could otherwise not have been
found by the use of only qualitative method (Denzin 1984, in Tellis 1997). Additionally, after each interview we
made sure to ask the interviewees about whether they wanted to look through the transcripts and approve
them or not. never the case (Bryman, 2008, pp. 476-477)
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Demarcations
A crucial limitation is that the researches of the project have not been able to get a statement from
Ryanair and get their opinion on the criticism and their point of views on what they believe the critics have
misunderstood. Furthermore, it would be a great opportunity to interview some of the current employees and
listen to their opinion about the whole Ryanair conflict and lack of working conditions. The whole issue is
primarily about the employees, thus it is crucial to get their point of view.(Bryman, 2008: 215-229)
Another demarcation of the project methods is in regards to the use of semi-structured interviews. Even
though the data reached by conducting those interviews are perceived as valid and very important for the
researchers' understanding, repetitions of the interviews could have increased the validity of that empirical
data. This is due to the fact, that if the researchers had conducted several interviews with the experts, then
there would had been a chance of that if they were asked the same questions with some time apart, new
information or opinions could occur about the problem of inquiry. However, due to a limit in time, this was not
done and can be argued to be a demarcation of the validity in the empirical data reached though the
interviews.
Another limitation is concerning the interdisciplinary of the project which could be stated to limit the project
dimension focuses as the researchers have had to go through all of the three subjects, Business studies,
international studies and communication and thus have not been able to fully immerse into the specific
disciplines.
Theory chapter
Stakeholder Theory
The stakeholder theory has been chosen in order to analyze Ryanair’s relationship towards its stakeholders.
Ryanair is defined as having a capitalistic approach to profit maximization, which in traditional business
theories is characterized as excluding ethics from business decisions.
Most theories within business studies separate ethical decisions from business strategy decisions; however it is
argued to be the problem within ethics of capitalism (Freeman et al, 2010: 6). Therefore the responsibility
principle, where people accept the responsibility to the effects of their actions on others, has been put into
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
question to highlight the importance of not separating business from ethics. If businesses do make decisi ons
without considering ethics within the decisions, the moral responsibility does not exist – hence business ethics
is oxymoron (Freeman et al, 2010: 8). However some businesses still do practice the decision -making process
without considering ethics, and act opportunistically. It is crucial to remember the groups, who are a part of
the value creation of the business in this process as have, more or less an impact on the decision -making of the
business, namely the stakeholders (Freeman et al, 2010: 8-9).
The stakeholder theory is different from Milton Friedman’s traditional view upon stakeholders, in the scope of
maximizing profit. Friedman argues that the maximizing of profit in the long run, is about participating in the
free competition and engage in activities designed to increase the profit, in this way the stakeholders interests
are best covered. However, the stakeholder theory instead argues that businesses must practice and maintain
good relationships to the stakeholders, by making sure that products and services are of high quality and
suppliers, and employees also have an interest in ensuring that the company is doing well. Hence stakeholder
management will lead to a sustainable maximizing of the profit (Freeman et al, 2010: 11).
However what both the stakeholder theory and Friedman agree upon, is that business and capitalism are not
about social responsibility. But, the theory is about business and value creation and economics may not be
fundamentally a part of value creation. Furthermore it is managerial – which means the stakeholder theory can
be used in practice by managers – in this case the CEO of Ryanair, Michael O'Leary (Freeman et al, 2010: 12).
Furthermore, what makes Friedman’s view upon stakeholder theory interesting in this project, is that it to a
high extend are similar to the perception of CEO, Michael O'Leary. Capitalism is according to Friedman
associated with freedom – and individuals have a responsibility not to destroy this. When businesses provide
goods or devote resources to communities, it cannot be regarded as social responsibility, as it is according to
Friedman, actions that are entirely justified in its self-interest (Freeman et al, 2010: 10-11).
The above leads to the discussion; what would happen if a business like Ryanair, that practices a strategy
which is effective in maximizing profit, tried to implement the views of the stakeholder theory? As Ryanair does
not seem to recognize that, an improvement in their stakeholder relationships might, in the long run, create a
more sustainable value (Freeman et al, 2010: 9).
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
To sum up, the stakeholder theory can provide the project with a different view upon why it is important to
satisfied all stakeholder groups of Ryanair, with the focus on the employees and consumers, i n order to create
value (Freeman et al, 2010: 224-229).
Applied communication theories in the project
Professor Robert Craig (1999) suggest that the field of communication, can be seen as coherent, if
communication is understood as a practical discipli ne, and can thus be divided into seven traditions that
conceptualizes different communication practices and problems. To understand these, the project will
primarily utilize Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis, CDA as a theory to substantiate the meth odological
choices of critical realism, arguing that social practices and events are created and reproduced through the use
of language, but that truth and/or reality can however not be found through discourses only. CDA, does like
critical realism therefore not understand discursive practices as one-dimensional, but rather as a dialectical
relationship between multiple dimensions or moments of social practice. Hence, arguing for the existence of
non-discursive dimensions. This is supported by Sayer, who is a critical realist, saying that “knowledge is also
largely—though not exclusively—linguistic, and the nature of language and the way we communicate are not
incidental to what is known and communicated. Awareness of these relationships is vital in evaluating
knowledge”(Sayer, 1992: 5). Furthermore, while other discourse theories tend to have an analytical focus on
either the individuals’ everyday discourse (‘small “d”’) or a more general and abstract discourse (‘big “D”’)
(Jørgensen and Phillips, 2002: 19-20), Fairclough argues that:
“*…+ discourse analysis is concerned with the relationship between processes/events and practices (as well as
structures), texts and discourses (as well as genres and styles), and therefore in the terms of the distinction use d
by Keenoy and Oswick *2004+ the relationship between ‘big “D”’ and ‘small “d”’ discourses” (Fairclough, 2005:
919-920).
Due to the above it is implied that CDA and critical realism in the notion of constructing and understanding of
social events, can be argued to be similar. It could thus be argued that CDA, in this project, is a theoretically
extension of critical realism, as a theory is needed to validate and substantiate the researchers analyzes
approach. As process tracing is investigating the causes of events and stakeholders are focusing on the
relationship between different discourse, and both acknowledge the power of discourses. From a theoretical
view CDA will be utilized implicit throughout the project, as the researchers uses and takes the ke y premises of
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
discourse analysis into consideration when analyzing. The key premises are ; (1) A critical approach to taken-forgranted knowledge (2) historical and cultural specificity (3) link between knowledge and social processes, and
(4) link between knowledge and social actions (Jørgensen and Phillips, 2002: 5-6).
A full analysis will however be conducted on the communication issues regarding why Ryanair’s employees do
not unite and complain about their working conditions, if they believe they are not good enough and/or up to
standards, as if this was the case, the problems with Ryanair, might not have been as it is today. To understand
and analyze this issue, the causes for the discourse will be mapped, such as being bounded by contract, the
organizational hierarchy, social inheritance and thus others expectations to the employees, in order to conduct
Fairclough’s CDA.
When using CDA as a method for analysis, the dialectical relationship between the communicative event and
the order of discourse are analyzed. The latter, Fairclough defines as a combination of different discourses,
different genres and different styles, which are articulated together in a distinctive way (ibid: 925). Whereas
the former, being an example of language use, which consist of the three dimensions, namely text, discursive
practice and social practice. The analysis of the communication event (see figure below), should analyze the
texts level, speeches, writings and visual images, as in for instance Ryanair’s press releases, th e contract with
their employees or the employees visual expression and body language towards the costumers. The text should
afterwards be analyzed in regards to how it influences the production and the consumption of the text
(discourse practice). It is within this practice that individual, social and cultural discourses changes, as the
discourse practice is the step where we either accept or falsify text, by reproducing the text or combine it with
other discourses, so it makes sense to the interpreter. Val idating the text is usually drawn on experience or a
combination of different discourses; the order of discourse. After reckoning whether the current order of
discourse has been reproduced or restructured by the discursive practice, the level of social pra ctice needs to
be considered, both how it has affected the discourse and how the discourse will affect the social practice
(Jørgensen and Phillips, 2002: 67-68). To clarify the dialectical relationship between the communicative event
and the order of discourse, it should be understood that for every social event there will be one or more
discourses that one needs to unconsciously decide to accept of falsify. This result in a change in one’s
discourse, a so- called antithesis which will then again be changed when accepting or falsifying yet another
order of discourse.
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Fig. 3 Fairclough’s three-dimensional model for critical discourse analysis
(1992b:73)
When utilizing CDA the researchers need to be aware of the criticism of the theory. One of the pr oblems
occurring is the wage distinction between discursive and non-discursive; a distinction of these will therefore be
conceptualized(Jørgensen and Phillips, 2002: 89) . Another critique of the theory or in general the social
constructivist argument for the construction of social events is that there are no constraints, consistency or
regularities in social life. However this is not an issue as the belief in critical realism argues that only social
phenomena are socially constructed, hence there are structures and mechanism from other dimensions that
invisibly contributes to fundamental structures (Ibid.: 6).
Lastly, whether there is a clash between the consumer’s position regarding Ryanair and their flight habits, will
also be analyzed. In order to investigate this, a hypothesis was conducted: Consumers will in public primarily
represent and put forward the socially adopted position regarding Ryanair, but in private the consumer could be
of a different opinion. The argumentation behind this hypothesis rest on the preliminary conclusion, that if the
majority of the Danish consumer’s have the same official and private negative attitude towards Ryanair, thus
supporting the attitude of the mass media, then Ryanair would not be as successful as it currently is, as it could
be argued that the consumer’s would then not support Ryanair, by buying their tickets, if we are to believe that
the consumer has an influence on a company’s success. This would therefore denote, if the hypothesis is
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
accepted, then the project would have found indications of consumers buying plane tickets from Ryanair, even
though they do not approve of their business strategies. If these indications are to be found, Meyrowitz’
modified version of Goffman’s dramaturgical theory will be used to substantiate the hypothesis and
understand the context in which people unconsciously perform and act when interacting with others.
Dramaturgical theory
Goffman's dramaturgical theory, also known as front region/back region-theory argues that people put on a
performance, social role when interacting with others, in order to adapt to the specific social situation, an d act
accordantly. These performances can be classified into a front region (where the performance is similar to the
performance of an actor on a stage projecting an image of a specific character) or a back region (to be shared
with others (teammates) with similar front stage performances and roles as oneself (the performer)) (Goffman,
1967; Meyrowitz, 1990). Hence the reality of self, as individuals and as a society, is segregated in the existing
patterns of situations and not as a sum of our behaviors. Me yrowitz disagree with the latter notion and argues
that the pattern of situation segregation should be seen as a variable, instead of static, and could be modified
by individual life decisions, chance and by other forces e.g. mass media (Meyrowitz, 1990: 74). On that notion
he introduces a middle, deep back and forefront region, as variable models. The middle region merges
elements from former front- and back regions, as the individual actor develops a ‘common ground’ with the
audience from the front stage. The deep back and forefront regions, Meyrowitz argues are developed “when
performers gain increased isolation from their audience". The new separation of situations allow for both a
coarser backstage style and a more pristine onstage performance” (Meyrowi tz, 1990: 78). Last, Meyrowitz
expands Goffman’s notion of the theory being bounded (restricted) by physical locations, as Goffman argues
that communicative events should happen face-to-face, to also be applicable to any other communicative
platform (ibid.).
So, if there are evidences indicating that consumers differs in opinion, it will on the background of the theory,
indicate that people has a need to feel socially accepted in the social situations they interact in. Thus
unconsciously or consciously they put forward an act, as they see fitting for the situation. In this case, the
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
consumer will then try to seem conscious in their discourse, to please the mass media and thus the society’s
position toward Ryanair. It should be noted that this behavior is not be confused with indications of consciously
lying, but rather an unconscious need to not stand out.
Conceptualization
To avoid confusions or misunderstandings in the project’s terminology, the following concepts will be clarified
or defined in the way they are used in this project.
The sixth stakeholder groups
The definition of a stakeholder, is a person or group which has an interest in the organization, in this project;
Ryanair as a business. Furthermore the stakeholder group can affect or be affected by the business' actions.7
The project has identified five groups of stakeholders, that are all having an influence and are related to the
case. First, it is necessary to explain what is meant when the project refers to: "Ryanair is saying or doing
Furthermorer, the following stakeholder groups related to Ryanair are namely; employees, consumers, EU and
labor unions in Denmark.
Working conditions:
Working conditions are defined as salaries and conditions that are in accordance with other employees within
the same branch in the country one work in . In Denmark, working conditions are different within the
industries, but there are some general assumptions, namely; the salary is high enough to cover living expenses
7
Business Dictionary: Stakeholder, definition. Published by Business Dictionary. Last updated: 1.1.2015.
I:http://www.businessdicti onary.com/definition/stakeholder.html – Last accessed: 27.05.2015
Page 25 of 121
Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
in Denmark. Furthermore, employees are paid under sickness and maternity. There is a maximum of hour to
work per week, for the paid worker and furthermore payment to pension is deducted in one's salary (Interview,
3F)
Product and service:
It is in this project important to make a clear definition and thereby a distinction between product and service.
Products are defined as tangible with intangible attributes, such as what the costumer gains fro purchasing the
product.8 However, the project does argue that Ryanair is providing customers with services rather than
products, even though one is buying a ticket. The reason is, that service is perceived as intangible, that cannot
be stored or transported and comes into existence when it is bought and consumed.9
Consumers (general) vs. Costumers (Buyers of Ryanair's products)
The consumers should be understood as every person that could be using commercial air transportation for
travelling work-related or as a private person, whereas costumers are understood as th e actual users of
Ryanair.
Rule shopping
The project is defining this concept in accordance with the Danish Ministry of Transport. Here it is stated that
there is differences in the EU countries' legislations and regulation in several aspects of the l egal framework.
These are among other things in regards to, conditions within employment law, rights of the wage-earner,
obligations of the employer etc. additionally, there do among the member states exist a difference in the way
that for instance the employers' responsibility and the concept 'employer' is perceived in terms of both taxes
and social security. Rule shopping is therefore defined to be situations where EU airline companies used to
8
Business Dictionary: Product, definition. Published by Business Dictionary. Last updated: 1.1.2015. Internetadress:
(http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/product.html ). - Last visited: 27.05.2015 (Internet)
9
Business Dictionary: Services, definition.Published by Business Dictionary. Last updated: 1.1.2015. Internetadress:
(http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/services.html). - Last visited: 27.05.2015 (Internet)
Page 26 of 121
Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
make the employment structures, terms of employment and the structure of the company, in regards to the
differences there are in the member states and therefor the term shopping (Danish Transport authority,
2015:9-10).
Social dumping
Social dumping is having a key role in this project, as Ryanair is being accused of leading to social dumping.
Thereby it is deemed necessary to conceptualize it and also get an understanding of its role in EU and the
consequences. The concept is chosen to be defined by the perception of Magdalena Bernaciak ( “Magdalena
holds MA degrees in International Relations/ European Studies and in Political Science. She completed her PhD
studies in Political Science at Central European University, Budapest.” European Trade Union Institue:
Magdalena Bernaciak . Publiced by: etui.. Available at: https://www.etui.org/About-Etui/Staff/MagdalenaBernaciak - Last accessed: 27.05.2015 (Internet), as she is recognizing the problem of not having a clear
definition of the important concept within EU, which has caused several problems for many citizens. The
concept social dumping has, according to Magdalena Bernaciak not been defined in an academic manner, due
to the concept being associated with a great deal of "misconception and ill grounded accusation"
(Bernaciak,2014:4-5) Bernaciak has defined social dumping as "the practice, undertaken by self-interested
market participants, of undermining or evading existing social regulations with the aim of gaining a competitive
advantage” (Bernaciak,2014:4).
The Danish Model
The Danish Model was founded in 1899 with the September Agreement and attracted attention beyond
Europe. The September Agreement laid the foundation for the current labor market of today - a labor market
where the relationship between employers and trade unions are thoroughly regulated and almost without
government interference. The employers and employees have a great impact on the employment policy, wages
and working conditions which is central in the Danish Model. The Danish model is divided into three parts 10 :
10
Septemberforl i get:
Den
da ns ke
model .
Publ i ced
by
LO.
Ava i l a bl e
a t:http://www.lo.dk/omLO/LOshistorie/storebegivenheder/septemberforl i get_denda ns kemodel .a s px - La s t a cces s ed 27.05.2015
(Internet)
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
• Tripartite Cooperation which is about the whole employment policies that are sent for consultation to the
labor market’s collaborators can be a part of the negotiations of the policies.
• Collective agreements which means that the state does not interfere in the regulation of wages and working
conditions unless the labor market’s parties are not able to solve the problems themselves. Furthermore, the
parties in a collective agreement will on the employee’s side often be a collectivity of the employees in the
form of trade unions, while on the employer can be the individual employer or an employers' organization. In
the collective agreements the wages and working conditions are regulated within the different industries and
functions as rules for the employees’ employment. If disagreements about the rights occur the employee or
the labor-union may present the case to the ordinary courts.
• High level of organization. In order for the agreement system to work it is essential that there is a high degree
of organization. Around 80 percent of Danish employees are members of a labor-union. Thus there are rules of
what a labor-union shall provide with such as the right to start collective fight methods such as strikes,
sympathy conflicts and blockades. Also, it has a peace obligation, which means that it is not legal to make work
stoppages, as long as there is a collective agreement in force and to make sure that there is a duration of the
agreement and termination. Lastly, if there are violations of the agreement it must be brou ght to the Labor
Court11.
Airline industry in Denmark
The airline industry is basically international and cross-bordered and the rules regulated for the airline industry
is also agreed upon on the international level through International Civil Aviation Organization, ICAO which is
the UN organization for international civil aviation. Denmark can double tax individuals who are living in
Denmark and has an income from work aboard, on an aircraft from the other agreement country. This means
that Ryanair employees who work in Denmark and recieves an Irish salary will not have same living conditions
11
Den
da ns ke
model .
Publ i ce
by:
Bes kæfti gel s es mi ni s teri et.
Ava i l a bl e
a t:
:http://bm.dk/da/Beskaeftigelsesomraadet/Arbejds ret/Det%20a rbejds retl i ge%20omra a de/Den%20da ns ke%20model .a s px -La s t
a cces s ed: 27.05.2015 (Internet)
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
as other Danes as they will have to pay double from their salary, which is what concerns the labor unions.
(Danish Transport authority,2015:13)
Treaties:
The treaties are the legal framework in the Union. Every decision that is taken here is founded on the treaties
(European Union: EU treaties. Publiced by: European Union. Available at: http://europa.eu/eu -law/decisionmaking/treaties/index_en.htm - Last accessed: 27.05.2015 (Internet)) These consist of the Treaty of the
functioning of the European Union,TFEU and the treaty of the European Union, TEU. TEU describes the areas
in which the member states will extend the policies to and areas of operation (Foste r,2014:4-5) While TFEU
“(…)organizes the functioning of the Union and determines the areas of, delimitation of, and arrangements for
exercising its competences” article 1 TFEU
The single market
The single market was introduced twenty years ago with the adoption of the Single European Act in 1986. It is
stemming from the idea that the European Union (EU) should be treated as one territory. The purpose is thus
to stimulate competition and improve efficiency. The way to achieve this is by letting peop le, goods, services
and money in the EU interact freely. This is believed by the EU to cause prosperity and to fuel economic
growth12 .
Furthermore, to consider the integration process of the Union in the single market, it is important to be aware
of that it has been an ongoing process for decades. It started out with the idea that six Western European
countries should unify their economics in the mid 1950's. A report called the 'Spaak Report' was made to
outline three core elements of the market. One element was that the protective barriers should be eliminated
in order to establish normal standards of competition. Another element was to limit state intervention and
monopolistic conditions. The final element was aiming at introducing measures that would ensu re that the
12
Europa .eu:
Wha t
is
the
s i ngl e
ma rket. Publ i s hed
by
Europa.
La s t
upda te:
03.08.2012.
Ava i lable:http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/20yea rs /s i ngl ema rket20/fa cts -fi gures /wha t-i s -the-s i ngl e-ma rket_en.htm - La s t
a cces s ed:12.05.2015 (Internet)
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
competition was organized and clear, a possible outcome would be that the legislation was harmonized at the
European level (Cini, 2013: 255).
The single market is today built on the 'four freedoms'. Which is as followers: First, there is the free movement
of goods, which largely is about the removal of trade barriers in several aspects. Second, the free movement of
capital, entailing that there should be freedom of investment, in order to let the capital go to the place where it
would be most productive. This is, however subject to some restrictions. Third, free movement of services is
largely the right to start a business anywhere in the Union. Fourth, concerning the free movement of labor, due
to the projects focus this area will be elaborated more in depth (Cini, 2013: 256).
Free movement of labor
The freedom of movement of EU citizens will be considered, in order to elaborate on how different EU
nationals can work in different member states. However it is important to clarify that t here is no clear
definition of the term ‘worker’ in the Treaties, but there is a common agreement between the member states
that: "A worker is any employed person, irrespective of whether he is wage-earning or salaried, blue collar or
white collar, an executive or unskilled labourer" (Foster, 2014: 367). In generic terms, freedom of movement
allows citizens of the EU to move around and to reside in and receive same rights and access to the social
services, such as health care and education, as the nationals in the specific EU member state. Freedom of
movement is one of the founding principles of the EU. The EU laws were originally concerned with the free
movement of economically active persons before European citizenship was introduced 13. It involved free
movement for workers and self-employed only. The EU has among other things, expanded the range of
persons who can take advantage of the treaty provisions and has provided rights for non -economically active
members of a worker’s family (Foster, 2014: 367).
The former Treaty Articles on free movement of persons stem from around 1957. The Article treaties
concerning free movement have hardly changed, but have expanded due to the secondary and the judicial
legislations. It is however important to elaborate on what the free movement of person means and which
rights the citizens are granted (Foster, 2014:360-361). The citizens of the EU member states are provided with
13
EU
citizenship.
Publiced
by
European
Comission.
Last
at:http://ec.europa.eu/justice/citizen/ Last accessed: 27.05.2015 (Internet)
updated:
05.11.2014.
Available
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
certain rights which are mentioned in the treaties. Important articles to consider here are: Article 3 TEU, Article
20 TFEU (Foster, 2014: 362) and Article 26 TFEU. These Treaty Provisions mention that the union shall offer its
citizens an area of freedom, security and justice, without internal borders in which the free movement is
ensured. However, there are two aspects that must be fulfilled in order to benefit from the rules provided for
freedom of movement (Foster, 2014: 366):
1
Nationality, Article 45 TFEU
2
The person, Article 49 TFEU
In order to benefit from the rights of free movement, one has to be categorized as a worker which is either by
being a self-employed, or someone who has established themselves, or provided services in a host member
state. Additionally, to achieve this status one needs to be considered as a national of one of the member states
in the EU. In Article 56 TFEU, it refers to the right of nationals of member states either by establishing or
providing services in the host member states. Thus, one must note that companies that are registered in one of
the member states are also included within the personal scope of the rights and may also rely on free
movement rights under article 45, as an employing company (Foster, 2014: 366-367).
Furthermore, Article 49 TFEU refers to the management of firms and companies. Article 54 TFEU is about those
firms and companies, that are referred to in 49 TFEU, that are formed in accordance with the law of a member
state and which have their registered office, central administration or principal place of business within the
Union. It also includes companies and firms that are constituted under civil or commercial law. However,
member states may impose conditions or restrictions on companies wishing to transfer, move, or split their
registered office to another state for, for instance tax advantages. This is because company laws are not
harmonized and are still within the competence of the member states. (Foster, 2014: 376).
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Neoliberalism
Neoliberalism is believed to have been playing a dominant role since the 1970’s in the world. An overall
definition of neoliberalism is provided by Bourdieu 14, who defined neoliberalism as being “(…) A programme for
destroying collective structures which may impede the pure market logic” (Braithewaite,2005:2). However, if
one understands neoliberalism in an institutionally manner it should, according to Braithewaite , (John
Braithwaite is a Distinguished Professor and Founder of RegNet 15 simply be understood as privatization and
deregulation of the market. Furthermore, with the addition of a deregulated international trade regime and a
diminishing of the public sphere. (Braithewaite, 2005: 2-3).
Regulated capitalism
This is built on the idea that the labor force is divided between on one hand the state, and on the other society
in particular the business aspect. This is based on the notion that there should be intervention in the market,
by for instance the government. These interventions can be in terms of rulemaking and rule enforcements in
the market. Additionally, an important aspect in regulated capitalism is the believe, in contrast to
neoliberalism, that the market is not left to control itself. This is due to the fact, that regulated capitalism
believes that the states has a significant role in this regard. The state is in regulated capitalism steering the
market, while the business is in control of the functions of the service provisions and technological innovation.
The emergence of regulated capitalism and the role that the states has here is perceived as being essential, if
the state should be broad back in the globalized world (Levi -Faur, 2015: 201).
14
A profes s or i n s oci ol ogy Gyl denda l Den Store Da ns ke: Pi erre Bourdi eu.publ i ced by: Gyl denda l . Ava i l a bl e
a t:http://www.denstoredanske.dk/Sa mfund,_jura _og_pol i ti k/Soci ol ogi /Soci ol oger/Pi erre_Bourdi eu La s t a cces s ed: 27.05.2015
(Internet)
15
the Regulatory Institutions Network) a t the Aus tra l i a n Na ti ona l Uni vers i ty John Bra i thwa i te. publ i ced by ANU. a s t up da ted:
17.12.2014. Ava i l a bl e a t:http://www.a nu.edu.a u/fel l ows /jbra i thwa i te/ - La s t a cces s ed 27.05.2015 (Internet)
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Judicial activism
Judicial activism, is where the court finds places in the EU where there are vagueness or gaps in the existing EU
law, which will lead to it expanding its power and role (Cini,2013:397). The Court of Justice was consulted by
the firms in cases where the firms wanted to have clarified whether a restriction that a member state had
made on imports were legitimate in accordance to the treaty (Cini,2013:257) .
Mutual recognition
Mutual recognition was a solution to the problem that the decision in this area were taken by unanimity,
meaning that all countries needed to agree on the policies. However, in a response to the difficulties and
disagreements the countries were facing when trying to harmonize the market, the mutual recognition
principle was introduced. This is the principle, that if a product is sold in one EU country it is allowed in other
member states, even though it does not live up to the technical standards of the country- with some
exceptions if for instance the country believes that the product is damaging for the health. Thereby the
member states do not have to come to an agreement of the standards and regulations that are on the products
which has been causing many conflicts among the member states. Now each member states are allowed to
make their own regulations and set the standards of the products, which is essential in order for the reducing
of barriers and to give the firms the necessary field in which they can operate in. This is a way to prevent a
'race to the bottom', since a lack of regulations for products and process standards might cause the countries
to compete with one another in different aspects. (Cini,2013: 257,399).
Analytical chapter
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Ryanair's struggle with the Danish labor unions
Since Ryanair in March 2015 started operating in Copenhagen there have been tensions between Ryanair and
Danish labor-unions. It is a threat to the agreement tradition in Denmark where employees and employers
interact through large collective agreements, known as the Danish model (3F interview). Ryanair refuse to
follow the labor-unions proposals and meeting with trade-unions is in no way customary for Ryanair has had
issues with almost all of the 30 countries in which it has established a base, however it is rare that the
management of Ryanair meets with the labor unions. Denmark is one of the exceptions but it was a failure,
since Ryanair refused to make any collective agreements, which was he aim of the meeting. Ryanair’s denial of
negotiating Danish agreements with the labor-unions has resulted in the trade-unions announcing a sympathy
action against Ryanair16.
However, the Danish labor unions are not sure whether a sympathy confli ct is legal, and therefore the Danish
labor court has to decide upon this question. The Danish labor unions are one of the sixth stakeholder groups
of Ryanair considered in this project, as it is believed that they have an influence on how Ryanair is ope rating as
a business in Denmark and its relationship towards the employees 17.
The hypothesis; "The Danish labor-unions will change Ryanair's management of its relationship towards its
employees" is made as it is known by the researchers, that Ryanair's rel ationship towards labor unions have
always been a known as key issue for the business. However, the researchers do from the beginning not
perceive the labor unions as a sufficient factor for explaining how the relationship between Ryanair and its
employees can be improved, but as a necessary factor, whereas the Hoop test is chosen. In order to test the
hypothesis, a clarification of the Danish labor-unions' role in Denmark must be given through an analysis of
their actions towards Ryanair with the help of the survey’s answers to the questions about Danes perception of
the labor-unions' role in Denmark and in the Ryanair case.
When an airline establishes a base in a country, it means that the employees will live in the country where the
base is located. Therefore it is crucial that wages are at a level, where fixed expenses can be covered, such as;
rent for living, food, insurance/payment to doctor visit etc. As mentioned, it is rare for Ryanair to have
meetings with labor-unions and negotiate upon a collective agreements between themselves as employers,
16
Fl ybra nchen: Spørgs må l og s va r omkri ng Rya na i r. Publ i s hed by Fl ybra nchen. La s t upda ted: 1.05.2015. Interneta dres s :
http://www.fl yvebra nchen.dk/nyheder/s poergs ma a l -og-s va r-omkri ng-rya na i r/ - La s t vi s i ted:27.05.2015 (Internet)
17
http://www.fl yvebra nchen.dk/nyheder/s poergs ma a l -og-s va r-omkri ng-rya na i r/ - La s t a cces s ed 27.05.2015
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
and their employees. However, Ryanair agreed to met with the three labor-unions: Service Federation,
Flybranchens Personale Union (FPU) and landsorganisationen LO on the 20 th of February in Copenhagen. The
meeting did not change anything, as labor-unions are still standing firmly in their fight for higher wages and
better working conditions for the employees who work in Danish Ryanair bases in order to have the same
conditions as any other Dane living in Denmark. According to Ryanair, it is the first time that they are being
forced to enter an agreement for a service that they provide for a country. Ryanair’s personnel director Eddie
Wilson blames the Danish labor-unions for being old-fashioned by giving employees a high salary for few
working hours. He believes that it should be the other way around. In order to increase the effectivity of the
employees and achieve growth in the airline industry, the workers should be paid a high wage for more
working hours, thus, the labor-unions do not take effectivity into consideration 18.
The labor-unions are planning a sympathy blockade that means that all of their members must not work for
Ryanair which means that Ryanair will not get its luggage handled, nor receive refuel or catering. Sympathy
conflicts are an ingrown part of the Danish labor model but Ryanair is confident about them acting illegally
within the EU-laws if Ryanair is hit by one. Furthermore, Wilson states that they have all become members of
the EU to achieve freedom and fewer rules to the benefit of the consumers. He further states that the Danish
model supports extortion of people by enter into agreements that they do not want to and thereby destroy
their businesses and prevent their country in having new working places which is not in line with the EU laws 19.
LO has therefore taken the case to the Labor Court in Denmark which is now dealing with the question of
whether it is legal for labor-unions to expose a sympathetic blockade against Ryanair, if they refuses to sign a
collective agreement with FPU for its flying personnel in Denmark or not. If the Danish Labor Court validates a
sympathy blockade against Ryanair, Ryanair intends to take further action to the EU Court, as they are
convinced that the EU will conclude that the Danish model is not in accordance to the EU laws (ibid.)
18
Faurfelt, Rikke: http://www.dr.dk/Nyheder/Penge/2015/03/09/151259.htm. In: DR, 9.3.2015, p. 1-1. Interneta dres s :
http://www.dr.dk/Nyheder/Penge/2015/03/09/151259.htm La s t vi s i ted: 27.05.2015 (Arti cl e)
19
Lund, Michael og Nina Munch-Perrin: Ryanair vil have 'den danske model' for EU-domstol. I: DR, 9.3.2015, p. 1-1.
Interneta dres s : http://www.dr.dk/Nyheder/Penge/2015/03/08/160514.htm. La s t vi s i ted:27.05.2015 (Arti cl e )
Page 35 of 121
Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Labor-unions’ role in Denmark and in the Ryanair case
In the survey, the Danish consumers were asked a question regarding their perception of the labor-unions' role
in the Danish society “When is it suitable for a labor-union to intervene in a company’s working conditions?”
The results proves very clearly how ingrown the Danish Model is in the Danes' mind and in their culture as 51%
answered that they should intervene when the employees have directly complained to their labor-union and
56% have answered that the labor-unions should intervene if they believe that the company does not comply
with what is regarded as being good morale and has members employed in the compan y. Only 1% says that the
labor-unions should never intervene and this is because the role of the labor-unions is exactly to make sure
that the Danish workers are working under satisfactory conditions and need to be listened to if they have
something to say (Survey, 2015: Q21) The reason why the percentage of the second option is higher than the
first, can be interpreted to be due to the freedom of speech in the working place. This can be seen in the case
of Ryanair, where there are several employees who have complained to their labor-union but have been either
given a yellow card and taken some rights by Ryanair management for contacting their labor-unions. They have
also signed a contract that says that they are going to be having secrecy for Ryanair and are therefore never
allowed to talk about their working conditions- even though they are not working for them anymore (Contract
Alessandra, interview Alessandra).(Timeline, 2015) The survey indicates clearly, that the respondents are
having faith in the labor unions position towards negotiating with Ryanair, however it is itself not evident for
proving that the labor unions can influence Ryanair's relationship towards its employee s.
According to FPU, Ryanair distinguish itself in the way that they treat their employees and it refusing to not
make a collective agreement with the labor union. O’Leary has in an interview said that they do respect the
Danish system and the Danish culture, but they simply cannot understand why they need to enter into a
collective agreement, as that would affect their effective business model. Ole og Jesper Kongskov: Københavns
overborgmester angriber Ryanair20 .
What is interesting here is the fact that he respects the Danish system and traditions, but the Danish model is
such an ingrown part of the Danish labor system and culture. Thus, O’Leary does either not fully understand
the content of the Danish culture or he does not really respect the Danish culture. The reason why there is no
Danish law covering the working standards is exactly do to the labor-unions’ role. It is the labor-unions along
20
In: Københavns overborgmester a ngriber Ryanair, 16.05.2015, p. 1-1. Interneta dres s : http://www.b.dk/na ti ona l t/koebenha vns overborgmes ter-a ngri ber-rya na i r La s t vi s i ted: 27.05.2015 (Arti cl e)
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
with their members and their employers who enter into agreements of specific working condit ions for each
one. Thus, the importance of the labor-unions within the labor market in Denmark is great. Furthermore, the
Danish labor-unions have received a great amount of inquiries from their members who are very concerned
about the situation and are afraid of being part of the conditions that Ryanair wishes to have in Denmark for
their aircraft industry staff. If the labor-unions did not make a fuss about Ryanair not following the Danish
market system, none of this would have found place and Ryanair would be operating without any resistance
since their employees are trapped. “To us, it is just important that you can get a salary you can live with and
which is decent and which provide some form of security. We do not demand luxury goods, the time is over we
know too well, we just need decent conditions” (Interview Anders Mak Jensen, 2015)
Cases with Ryanair conflicting with other national labor -unions
Ryanair has, as mentioned been conflicting with labor-unions from almost all of its base countries. In 2007,
France started a lawsuit against Ryanair for not entering into French agreement when it set up a base at the
airport Marseille-Marignane with 127 employees. Ryanair did not pay contributions to the mandatory pension
funds and health insurance, and the company did not respect the provisions of the law on working time. It was
a clear violation of a decree of 2006, which require foreign airlines based in France to comply with French law
for employees, including pilots when they start and end their day in France. This case proves that labor-unions
can affect whether Ryanair operates in the specific country or not. The labor-unions are namely the ones giving
“working conditions and collective agreements” cases attention 21 .
However, the case in France was not necessarily been a success for France if it was n ot for the violation of a
decree. Furthermore, when Ryanair lost the lawsuit it withdrew from France, as it did not wish to change its
business strategy which it perceives as effective and good. Instead Ryanair just continued its strategy in other
countries.
To conclude upon the above through process tracing, the Danish labor-unions are necessary factors in regards
to its role and impact on ‘Ryanair operating within the Danish borders’, as they are the ones labelling them as
problematic and thereby given attention to this as a conflict. However, it cannot be concluded that the laborunions will change Ryanair’s low-cost strategy. as there are no examples of Ryanair entering into agreements
21
Va l s ga a rd, Ma thi a s : Ryanair-strid kan presse selskabet ud af København. In: DR, 18.3.2015, p. 1-1. Interneta dres s :
http://www.dr.dk/Nyheder/Penge/2015/03/18/073443.htm La s t vi s i ted: 27.05.2015 (Arti cl e )
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
with other countries and thereby probably not will in Denmark as we ll. Ryanair will most likely just leave
Denmark if it loses the lawsuits in both Denmark and the EU22 .
Due to the respondents of the survey's perception of labor unions' role on the employees' working
conditions, labor unions are still perceived as a necessary but not sufficient factor for influencing Ryanair's
relationship towards its stakeholders. However, because of the previous cases with Ryanair conflicting with
labor unions, it is not likely that the case in Danish Labor Court will provide more ethics to Ryanair's
management of its relationship to the employees.
Ryanair and its competitors
To understand Ryanair’s position in the airline industry, a brief understanding of Ryanair’s competitors will be
presented, as Porter among others, argues that companies are mutually dependent in relation to working
conditions. Thus changes in Ryanair’s strategy e.g. price regulation, improvement in product and service, could
therefore influence its competitors and vice versa. The project has selected four companies as representatives,
as it is argued that these represent the range from low-fare to exclusive, and includes the two major
Scandinavian airlines SAS and Norwegian. To find evidence for the importance of competitors, as part of
process tracing the hypothesis “Ryanair is pushing other airline companies to have cheaper prices on airplane
ticket” where conducted along with the hypothesis “Ryanair is pushing the prices of airline tickets on expense
of its employees”.The former hypothesis concerns an investigation of whether Ryanair has an influence on
other airline companies prices. Lately, it has been evident within the airline industry that many traditional
companies e.g. SAS are fighting for their survival in the wave of low -price companies, with Ryanair in the
leading position, that have entranced the airline industry and are challenging companies such as SAS23.
22
Seidelin, Michael: Ryanair tabte et slag i Frankrig - men flyver videre og udvider butikken. In: Politiken, 19.3.2015, p. 1-1.
Internetadress: http://politiken.dk/oekonomi/virksomheder/ECE2592616/ryanair-tabte-et-s l a g-i -fra nkri g---men-fl yver-vi dere-ogudvi der-buti kken/ La s t vi s i ted: 27.05.2015 (Arti cl e)
23
Pol i ti ken: SAS-konflikten udstiller de syge
vilkår
i
luftfarten.
I:
Pol i ti ken,
2.3.2015,
Ava i l a bl e
a t:
http://politiken.dk/debat/ledere/ECE2570716/sas-konflikten-udstiller-de-syge-vilkaar-i-luftfarten/ Last a cces s ed: 27.05.2015 (Arti kel )
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
However, it can be argued that cutting in prices is much easier for a company as Ryanair, which has refused to
have any collective agreement for its employees as stated in the previous paragraph. Where it makes other
companies in the airline industry hard to survive is because of their collectiv e agreements, where minimum
wages and other conditions are agreed upon for all employees. This is substantiated by Henrik Bay -Clausen,
from 3F, and furthermore by Anders Munk Jensen from FPU arguing that; "Ryanair is definitely the worst in this
industry" (Interview FPU). However, whether it is difficult for other companies to cut their ticket prices or not,
it is the effect Ryanair has had - and by analyzing different airline companies prices on a trip to London and
back, it is hard to find any significant difference in the prices (see appendix II).
Ryanair is perceived as a sufficient factor, for explaining the effect on employees' working conditions within the
airline industries, as a consequence of the competition of prices on airplane tickets. This is due to the
knowledge of Ryanair's role as the first low-price company in Europe, since, other low-price companies have
been developed. Ryanair may not explicitly have an influence on the airlines, however there is evidence for
that the low-price companies all together have influenced the companies. This became evident when SAS in
December 2014 announced a saving plan, after a deficit of 545 million kroner in 2013/14. The plan involved a
transfer of 147 employees to the newly acquired daughter company Cimber Sterling, as an attempt to save
money on restructuring the company (Kristensen, 2015). Months later in March 2015, Norwegian Air Shuttle
(the mother company of Norwegian) likewise announced that the daughter company Norwegian Air Norway,
where all Scandinavian employees are employed, where to be split into separate companies for each of the
countries; Denmark, Sweden and Norway (Norwegian 2015; Lind, 2015). The cuts that was made in SAS and
Norwegian are also on the expense of the employees. However, it has for both companies not been straightforward cuts, as long negotiations with the labor unions representing the employees of those two companies,
have costed the companies a lot in terms of capital as strikes by the employees have paralyzed the companie s
from doing business. The point of this statements, is that even though SAS and Norwegian have both been
proved to do business on the expense of their employees, they have not been 'standing with the smoking -gun',
in the sense that they have used time and efforts in order to compromise with their employees . According to
the stakeholder theory, it can be argued that this approach is including ethics in the management of
stakeholders, to a significant higher extent than what Ryanair is doing. To conclude on the hypothesis
“Ryanair is pushing other airline companies to have cheaper prices on airplane ticket”, there is evidence for
that low-price companies are forcing other companies to rethink their strategies and can thus be argued to be
an expense to these companies, as such changes can be costly both in terms of price but also in terms of
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
expected earnings. However there are not enough evidence to conclude that these changes are sole due to
Ryanair’s low-price strategy, and therefore the hypothesis is falsified.
Furthermore, the organizational changes at SAS and Norwegian indicated that there are evidence for Ryanair
pushing other companies to cut in expenses for employees, because of the struggle for cheaper prices. As their
employees fears that these changes would lead to a reduction of their current working conditions, first and
foremost because employees in Norwegian believes that the company will shot down the daughter companies,
and replace the Scandinavian workforce with less expensive workers from other daughter companies (Quass,
2015). The employees in SAS, however fear that the transferred employees at the next collective bargaining in
2017 will force the employees to decrease their current working conditions to the lesser level of the other
employees in Cimber Sterling, or to get fired (Andersen, 2015).
Thus the conclusion to the hypothesis “Ryanair is pushing the prices of airline tickets on expense of its
employees” is accepted. However there are evidence proving that the company is not the only one doing this,
but the methods are more extreme than in the case of SAS and Norwegian, that are negotiating with their
employees. The hypothesis is accepted, and Ryanair is a sufficient factor to explain the issue.
The relationship of Ryanair an d its employees
Employees can in many ways be seen as front persons of a company, as they are the ones interacting with the
company's customers. It can therefore be important for a company to maintain a good relationship to its
employees if the company has certain expectations to such. This is also a key point within the stakeholder
theory, that stress the fact that in order to create value for a business, it is necessary to include ethics in the
management of relationship to stakeholders, hereby also Ryanair's employees. To analyze the relationship
between Ryanair and its employees, an understanding of the contract will be presented, together with a
former Ryanair employee, Alessandra Cocca’s narrative of her time in the company. The contract are to be
analyzed, as the stakeholder theory argues that the contract is one way to see the relationship between the
Ryanair and its employees (Freeman et. al, 2010: 25). The hypothesis “Ryanair does not include ethics in its
management of relationship of its employees” will be analyzed subsequently. The hypothesis is decided to
include a necessary but not sufficient factor, namely; ethics in relationship management of employees. It will in
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
the further analysis be investigated upon whether the hypothesis will be falsified or accepted by evidences
from a previous employee and statements from the interviews. If the hypothesis passes the Hoop test within
process tracing, it will be proved that the lack of ethics in the relationship management is a necessary factor to
understand how Ryanair may challenge Danish working conditions in the airline industry.
As stated in the stakeholder theory it is important to look at the contract in order to determine the conditions
the employees have. It should however be noted that around 60 to 70% of all Ryanair’s employees are hired
through recruitment agencies, instead of being hired directly at Ryanair (Hall and Kongskov, 2015: 20). The
contract through such agencies differs from the on in Ryanair. If getting a three -year cabin crew contract
through Crewlink Ireland Ltd. (recruits around 27% of Ryanair's employees), some of the conditions are as
follows (see Appendix III for complete contract):
Income, working hours and fees:

16.20 ( 120kr) per scheduled block hour incl. premium for Sunday and holiday working and meal
allowance

May be entitled to a bonus of 10% of own sales made doing the flight

No formal working hours, can be required to work at any given time

Compulsory non-paid leave when excess capacity or low-season

Are to pay for uniform the first year and for the times parked in the airport staff car park
Termination of contract:

1 weeks’ notice between 13month - 2 year, 2 weeks’ notice between 2-5 years, if resigned by the
company

200 ( 1490kr) resignation fee within the first 15months and employees should give the company at
least 1 months’ notice
Other terms:

Most live within 1 hour of transportation to the airport

Should expect to be on standby without pay an undefined days a month

Have duty of confidentiality
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015

Crewlink and Ryanair have rights to search employees and their personal belongings

Possibility to renew contract after end period
When analyzing the contract ( the text) through critical discourse analysis, CDA, it becomes apparent that the
interactional control, that is the relationship that Ryanair wants to establish with its employees are two folded.
As the linguistic in the text are formal and judicial, Ryanair thereby wants to be perceived as a professional
business. In the other discourse of the text, Ryanair expresses how they formally expect the employees to
behave and how they perceive the employees, thus the modality, which is the wanted power Ryanair wants to
achieve by the discourse, are very explicit. This is argued as the text clearly states the role of the employee. As
the terms for employment shows that Ryanair somehow wants to minimize the expense of having employees,
by letting them pay e.g. their uniform, id-card, car park, and for leaving the company. It, thus indicates that
Ryanair does not give the employees significant value. However, one needs to keep i n mind that a contract
cannot be seen as Ryanair’s only discourse about their employees, as a contract rarely formulates other
aspects than the formalities. To understand Ryanair’s discourse fully, an analysis of Ryanair’s job advertisement
for cabin crew is needed in addition, as the discourse for such will provide us with an understanding of what
Ryanair wants to offer their employees and what they further expect of them in return. The main point in the
job advertisement is as follow (quoted from the full advertisement in Appendix VII):
Ryanair is looking for the following qualifications in their personnel:

Quick-thinking

Fast-acting

Hard-working

Who love a challenge

Like to get stuck in

Hates waffle

Works well with other people but able to work on your own initiative too

Is enthusiastic!

Friendly and outgoing personality
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Ryanair offers:

Competitive salary - approximately 1,100- 1,400 per month after tax the first year in most bases

Rewarding systems to incentivize work

New Joiners' Allowance £1,000 / 1,200 over first 6 months
o

After 12 Months: an EXTRA £250/ 325 annual allowance for uniforms, ID's and Medicals
Great promotional opportunities with the potential to join Ryanair (supervisor after 18months) and earn
in excess of £25,000/ 30,000 gross per annum after just one year in most bases.

New friends, fun, amazing opportunities and real job satisfaction

Generous travel benefits from day one, giving you the opportunity to fly abroad on your days off. Rome
for lunch! Or Skiing in Austria!
It is evident that the job advertisement seems more appealing as it includes not only what Ryanair is looking
for, but also what they can offer. Hence the modality of this discourse implies mutual relationship, where
Ryanair rewards after performance. Even though many of the elements are identical to the contract, it differs
when it comes to how much it is possible to earn in the company. The contract does not mention any of the
allowances or the possibility of being promoted within the contract period. The latter however does not need
to be included in the contract. This becomes a problem as Ryanair does not deliver what is promised, which
might also be one of the reasons that their employees has applied.
According to Alessandra Cocca the relationship and communication between Ryanair and the employees after
being employed, is of a different matter. As she expresses in the interview (see Appendix V):
“If you take a frog, and you put it in the water and you put the frog in very hot water, the frog takes the jump
and get out. If you take the frog and little by little you warm up the water, it is being cooked with it [not] even
realizing that. So this is the psychological way to work for them, they cook you without you realizing it.”
By this she argues that when applying for a position in Ryanair and doing the training, everything seems
glamorous and like a dream job. However things change when signing the contract, and due to the first
impression of the company, one does not realize that the conditions have changed from what was
promised. The mode also changes from the promised friendly and outgoing teamwork spirit to a ruder
introvert one-against- the- other attitude. The latter stems from the company’s organizational culture, which
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Alessandra argues, is a mirror image of Michael O’Leary. She further defines Ryanair’s behavior to be very
“British”, which she states is “rudeness masqueraded as politeness”.
To conclude Ryanair should be seen as a tough business that promotes competition and rewards hard work. It
does not appreciate others opinion and believe that the company will be sustainable in the future with its
currently discourse.
In terms of these conditions being worse than the other airl ine companies in Denmark, both 3F and FPU state
that Ryanair are the worst in this category. This was substantiated by 3F stating that the other companies that
has a base in Denmark do have a collective agreement with the labor unions. Some of the other co mpanies
might have conditions that are not optimal and could be better, but they do have this agreement .
(interview) The hypothesis; "Ryanair does not include ethics in its management of relationship of its
employees" can be accepted and therefore the lack of ethics in relationship management of Ryanair's
employees is a necessary factor.
The consumers' influence on Ryanair
The consumers are as mentioned defined as being one of the stakeholder groups towards Ryanair. To consider
this, its is first of all necessary to look at the hypothesis ,H1: 'The consumers' position towards Ryanair will
influence Ryanair's success on the Danish market'. In the interviews with the labor unions when asking about
the consumers role, both labor unions stated that the consumers had a crucial role in terms of Ryanair's
success, especially Jensen from FPU who stated that ' to put it bluntly, there would not be a Ryanair without the
consumers' (interview FPU). Additionally, 3F mentions cases where the consumers play a role for instance in
regards to ecology and nuclear testing. The consumers can be argued to be a part of the market forces which
are playing a key role in the single market.One can here state that the consumers are a necessary and sufficient
factor for Ryanair's ability to operate, as if they do not buy Ryanair's tickets and support the business, Ryanair
will cease to exist. (interview 3F)
EU and the grey areas
To analyze EU's role to the given research question "How can Ryanair challenge theworking conditions in the
national airline industry?", an overall hypothesis were conducted as follows, " EU has an influence on Ryanair's
ability to challenge the ethics in terms of working conditions within the airline industry in Denmark". The same
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
hypothesis can be drawn for the following terms and concepts within EU as well, namely the single market,
social dumping, enlargement, mutual recognition and judicial activism. These are all important aspects of the
EU which will make it possible to test the hypothesis.
At first, the analysis is testing the first hypothesis; "Mutual recognition leads to social dumping within the single
market". Within process tracing, the Straw-in-the-Wind test is chosen due to the mutual recognition is
perceived as affecting social dumping, but is not in itself enough to be the only cause. In other words the
concept, is considered as being neither a necessary factors nor sufficient, however the test will maybe show
something different. This consideration is based on the researchers' prior knowl edge of the concept's
evolvement throughout EU's history. This can be argued as being a way in which there is ensured that there is
regulation on the products in the different member states. Looking at the timeline of the history of the single
market within the EU, the case of 'Cassis de Dijon' can be argued to have had a significant role within the
development of the Single Market. This is due to the fact, that the conflict resulted in an agreement of the
principle of mutual equivalence. However, it can be argued that a direct relation to social dumping within EU
can be hard to see, therefore the hypothesis is tested by the Straw-in-the-Wind test, as the factor will not be,
based on knowledge, a necessary nor sufficient factor for proving that the EU leads to social dumping. Since it
has been argued, that mutual recognition actual is made to protect citizens from being affected by social
dumping. (Foster,2014:342), (Schioppa,2002:4-7), (Cini,2013:257)
"Judicial activism leads to social dumping within the single market" is this part's second hypothesis, which still
concerns the questions of whether EU has an influence of social dumping. However, this hypothesis is tested by
another test within process tracing than H1, because prior knowledge indicates for the researchers, that
judicial activism places a major role in regards to social dumping. Because the evidence of proving that this
concepts role is so strong, the 'Smoking-gun test has been chosen. In aspect of this concept, different cases
through time have been argued to have an influence on the cutting down on the social standards and labor
rights, namely; 'Viking', 'Laval' and 'Rüffert'. The 'Viking' case, concerned the conflict between a Finish shipping
company 'Rosella', a daughter company of 'Vikingline', that wished to make an collective agreement with the
trade union in Estonia. The agreement should make it possible for Rosella to employ Estonia crew, in order to
get cheaper labor by giving lower salaries. However, the labor unions within Finish Seamen's Union(FSU) was
told this by the company , which caused the international union Transport Workers Federation (ITF), to write to
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
all its alias that they should not make a collective agreement with Viking, additionally FSU was planning on
striking. These event caused Viking to take the case to the court in the United Kingdom where the case became
subject to preliminary ruling and became an EU matter. In overall the legal decision was that the FSU had the
right to strike as long as it was in accordance with the fundamental freedoms. However, it did also decide that
the FSI and FSU was putting restrictions on the Vikings freedom of movement24 .
This decision, that Viking won its case in court, was not an incident, as the Laval and the Rüffel cases also fall
to the benefits of the business of inquiry. For instance it can be proved in the case of 'Laval', where Swedish
labor unions, were judged by EU of violating Laval's right to hired foreign workers from an EU member
state.(Rönnmar,2010:280-287) Furthermore, the Rüffel case also substantiates the right the companies have
for freedom of movement, since in this case a Polish company was accused of not following minimum wages in
the public sector which was Niedersachsen (the law of lands) argument. However this law was stated to be
inconsistent with EU and the freedom of movement provided by article 56 in TFEU, since the w age did not
cover the entire construction industry in Germany's minimum wage and it did therefore restrict the company
from competing25 .
To sum up, It can be argued that judicial activism is a sufficient criteria for EU's ability to lead to social dumping
this is due to the fact that the rulings which are mentioned above are prioritizing freedom of establishment and
services higher than collective and social labor rights. This high prioritization of liberalizing the market and the
aspects it is prioritization is challenging the socio-economic models (Cini, 2013: 257-259). Furthermore, as
social dumping was defined as being practical and undermining social standards within the country, it can be
argued that this was what happened in the different cases. Therefore the cases have shown us that it has
happened before that EU has contributed to social dumping and therefore judicial activism can be considered
as a sufficient factor in proven EU's role in regards to social dumping. However, judicial activism had no right to
judge without mutual recognition, that was the cornerstone of the single market and can therefore be argued
to be a necessary factor whereas the researchers realize that other factors are in play than judicial activism.
24
Summa ry of i mportant judgements: Case C-438/05 International Tra nsport Workers’ Federation and Finnish Seamen’s Union v Vi king
Li ne ABP a nd OÜ Viking Li ne Eesti, judgment of 11 December 2007 Internal market . Publiced by: European Commiss i on Lega l Servi ce.
La s t updated: 07.2008. Ava i lable at: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/legal_service/arrets/05c438_en.pdf - Last a ccessed: 27.05.2015 (Internet)
25
Rüffert C-346/06 Judgment s umma ry. publ i ced by: Europea n Tra de Uni on Confedera ti on. Ava i l a bl e a t:
http://www.etuc.org/s i tes /www.etuc.org/fi l es /Rueffert-judgement-s umma ry.pdf - La s t a cces s ed: 27.05.2015 (Internet)
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
"Free movement of labor leads to social dumping" is the third hypothesis, and is build upon knowledge about a
specific regulation of the EU, namely Article 49 (Article 49, TFEU), which states that national law should not
restrict in the national, including firms to establish themselves in another EU member state. The analysis
concluded before that the judicial activism itself, actually could be an sufficient factor in order to conclude that
EU leads to social dumping, however it was also proved that other necessary factors were needed in the
evidence. H3 includes another factor, namely 'free movement of labor', which is here considered as a
necessary, but not sufficient factor. To see if that is true the Hoop test has been chosen, and the results will
provide further in the investigating of EU's impact on social dumping. It was as mentioned stated that judicial
activism was a sufficient criteria, however it can be argued that the free movement of labor is necessary for
judicial activism to exist in this regard. This can be proven by looking at the three cases above and their legal
arguments that are based on the agreement of free movement of labor. As it is proved that the cases had an
influence on social dumping, it can therefore be argued that the concept of free movement, has a necessary
role in this provement. This is due to the fact, that in the Viking case three article related to the freedom of
labor was used, namely 45,49 and 56 TFEU. In the Rüffert case article 56 was used as the legal argument and
Laval used 52,56,57,62 in TFEU. These cases indicate that the arguments was related to the treaties provision
of freedom of labor and services. As it was also indicated in the description of the cases that it was
regarding the economic freedom.
To sum up in combination with the judicial activism it can be argued that the free movement of labor is an
necessary factor in order to create social dumping, because the three cases that are chosen as being
representative of the issue, are all using legal arguments that have to do with this area of the legal framework.
However it is not a sufficient criteria since it is not a factor leading to this issue alone but simply a tool that can
be used (Rönnmar,2010:280-287) 26 .
26
Rüffert C-346/06 Judgment s umma ry. publ i ced by: Europea n Tra de Uni on Confedera ti on. Ava i l a bl e a t:
http://www.etuc.org/sites/www.etuc.org/files/Rueffert-judgement-summary.pdf - La st accessed: 27.05.2015 (Internet) a nd Publ i ced
by:
Europea n
Commi s s i on
Lega l
Servi ce.
La s t
upda ted:
07.2008.
Ava i l a bl e
a t:
http://ec.europa .eu/dgs /l ega l _s ervi ce/a rrets /05c438_en.pdf - La s t a cces s ed: 27.05.2015 (Internet)
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Rule shopping
Because there is a lack of rules in the EU and they are not interpreted the same way, for instance the concept
of employer, which is argued to have been exploited by low-cost airline companies, like Ryanair, then it is
argued by the Ministry of Transport in Denmark that businesses can practice "rule shopping" (Danish Transport
authority, 2015) H4: "The possibility to make rule shopping within EU leads to social dumping within the airline
industry in Denmark".
The way this was identified as being an important factor in order to understand EU's role in this specific issue is
due to the statement made by the transport ministry. Namely that "social dumping within the airline industry
predominantly must be characterized as lawful rule shopping where airlines take advantage of differences in
Member States' rules and interpretation of EU rules" (Danish Transport authority, 2015:7) This is a key issue,
especially within the airline industry and will be investigated as a necessary and sufficient factor within the
question of EU leads to social dumping. This can be substantiated by several statements from different sources.
First of all, there is Henrik B. Clausen from 3F who states that rule shopping within EU is a problem and it
would be very helpful if EU took measures against this problem (3F interview). This indicates that rule shopping
is one of the problems in regards to EU's role in the issue and he therefore substantiates the hypothesis.
However, Anders Mark Jensen from FPU is stating that the issues are lying within Danish law, when it comes to
the case of Ryanair in Denmark. He argues that, because no Danish law concerns this issue, there is a risk, that
the case within the labor-court has to be taken at the EU level, if so a Danish judge declares himself
incompetent in regards to give judgment (FPU interview). Even though that Jensen declares that the issues is a
national problem there is more arguments for that the EU plays a role. This can be seen in the report from the
Danish ministry of transport which builds its findings on investigations in this area (Danish Transport authority,
2015). It is mentioning that the EU has an essential role in social dumping in the airline industry in terms of
rule shopping. This is due to the fact that a lot of the aspects that the 'low cost' companies are build on is a
result of rule shopping. As mentioned social dumping is situations where one is undermining or evading
existing social regulations this is by the transport ministry argued to be the case. Additionally, they elaborate
on the specific situation in Denmark and states that the cases within Denmark have shown that foreign workers
are receiving wages and working conditions under Danish standard, however it i s also argued that the airline
companies can, according to EU law, legally act in this way (Danish Transport authority, 2015
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Even though FPU is arguing against that EU's regulation about free movement has influence on social dumping,
it can still be concluded that the evident proving that free movement of labor has a role in regards to social
dumping in Denmark are of a bigger size. Therefore free movement of labor passes the Hoop test and can be
argued to be a necessary factor.
The next hypothesis is "Enlargement leads to higher inequality in the Union which cause social dumping". The
above analysis leads the project to consider broader concepts which are important to get an understanding of
the EU's role in terms of social dumping, namely regulated capitalism and neoliberalism. The concepts that
have been considered above, are including the concepts of mutual recognition, free movement of labor and
judicial activism. Therefore one can argue that because of those concepts relation to EU's role in social
dumping - the whole can be related to the concepts of neoliberal ism and regulated capitalism.
Therefore the hypothesis is, "neoliberalism and regulated capitalism are the reasons there exists social
dumping within EU". If looking at neoliberalism in regards to the EU and the single market, the key principles is
when concerning the market which should be liberalized, meaning that the trade restrictions should be
removed, thus making the market more attractive to business. Another important aspect in thi s respect is
regulatory competition, meaning that the different countries that are in the market, will strive to make a
regulatory environment that will be attractive to business, even more if leading to further deregulation of the
market. Additionally, neoliberalism also emphasize the importance of preventing EU institution from gaining
great regulatory power, and in overall to keep the market free from political interference (Cini, 2013: 257, 403).
This can be argued to have an influence in regards to social dumping since the events such as judicial activism
and free movement of labor are build on these principles, and can therefore be argued to be a product of this
way of thinking.
However, if looking at the regulated capitalism in terms of EU, its role here is concerning the idea that the
European level should have its capacity enhance in terms of regulating the market. The ideology behind is the
support of the social market economy and social solidarity where the welfare state and the distributive poli tics
are seen as important. Also the aim to enhance the legitimacy of the EU institution, by for instance striving to
increase the use of qualified majority voting (Cini, 2013: 257). This indicates that even though some within the
EU wants a market that is more regulated than neoliberalism and are focusing more on the social aspects of
the Union, the principles that have been described can still be argued to have been build on these principles.
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Therefore one can state that neoliberalism is a necessary but not sufficient criteria for the existence of social
dumping with the Union.
To sum up and consider the overall hypothesis, namely that 'EU has an influence on Ryanair's ability to
challenge the ethics in terms of working conditions within the airline industry in Denmark', one can say that all
the factors that are mentioned are important parts of the single market. Since these have all been defined as
having a influence on Ryanair's ability to challenge these conditions one can state that the single market has an
influence and thereby also the EU and is strongly substantiated by 5 necessary factors.
Survey analysis
In order to answer the thirds working question question about what consumers prioritize as important when
buying air flight tickets, the survey has been used as the main empirical data. For the project to get the best
overview of what the consumers prioritize, the consumers have been divided into different categories, namely;
age, education and work background. Different hypotheses have been made for each group according to the
expectation of the preferences they must have. The main hypothesis is set to be: Consumers with different
backgrounds have ‘price’ as their first priority when buying tickets. ‘Background’ is here defined as eithe r
education, occupation, income or the age of the consumers. This will be done through the responses from the
survey where a look at the respondents answers to question 1 to 4 are compared directly with their answers to
their preferences when buying tickets. (Survey, 2015)
There are therefore four sub-hypothesizes:
-The length of the journey does not influence the Danish consumers preferences on the fact that the Danes
prioritize 'price' over anything else when buying a flight ticket
-
The age of the consumer does not have an influence on the consumers preferences when it comes to
their first priority-
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
- The consumer’s occupation does not have an influence on the consumers preferences when it comes to their
first priority
-
The level of education has no influence on the consumers’ priorities when it comes to their first priority
-
The consumers’ income does not have an influence on their preferences when it comes to their three
first priority
To start with the first hypothesis, one will have to find out whether there is a difference between the
responses of the consumer’s travelling with short or long routes and thereby accept or falsify the hypothesis
that says 'The length of the journey does not have an influence on the Danish consumers preferences on the
fact that the Danes prioritize 'price' over anything else when buying a flight ticket'. The results shows a slightly
difference on the responses and thus the term is not crucial. Both of the route lengths’ cons umers prioritize the
price over anything else with 34% on long routes and 31% on short routes. The second priority is on direct
connections/length of the journey where long routes is at 24% and short routes at 21%. The third is on
quality/service where long routes is at 13% and short routes 18%. Thus, it has chosen to focus on only the
short routes’ responses when we cross checked with the consumers’ four backgrounds as mentioned in the
beginning. This is due to the fact that the differences are not signif icant and it is therefore possible to look at
one of them.
The first cross-check with age shows very clearly that all ages have chosen the ‘price’ as one of their three
prioritizations and all of the age groups beside 50-59 who had ‘price’ equal with direct connection/quality and
service. Thus, the first hypothesis The age of the consumer does not have an influence on the consumers
preferences when it comes to their first priority will not be falsified but is temporarily accepted until it is proven
wrong. Thereby this is neither a necessary or sufficient criteria in the determining which factors plays a role
for consumers to prioritize price the highest.
The second cross-check is about the hypothesis 'the consumer’s occupation does not have an influence on the
consumers preferences when it comes to their first priority'. All of the occupational groups have chosen ‘price’
as their first priority. This means that this hypothesis is now accepted until it is proven to be wrong, as well.
Thereby this also fails to be a necessary or sufficient criteria in this respect.
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
The third cross check is about the educational level and the survey results also shows that no matter what the
educational level is the first priority is still the ‘price. Thus, the hypothesis ‘ The level of education has no
influence on the consumers’ priorities when it comes to their first priority is accepted until it is proven wrong.
Therefore this is just as age and occupation neither a necessary or sufficient criteria
Lastly is the hypothesis: 'The consumers’ income does not have an influence on their preferences when it
comes to their three first priority' which the responses of the survey has proven to be accepted as all of the
income groups have price as their first priorities. Thereby, the income is neither a necessary or sufficient
criteria in influence consumer prioritization in regards to prize.
The above four hypothesis are all accepted, but as they are all formulated negatively, they all are failing a
straw-in-the-wind test. Therefore all factors, namely; age, occupation, education or income do not have an
influence when in what consumers prioritize the highest when buying flight tickets; price.
We can thereby conclude that the price of the ticket is what Danes prioritize mostly compared to the other
answer opportunities in the survey question. This means that the main hypothesis “Consumers with different
backgrounds have ‘price’ as their first priority when buying tickets” is accepted as in the end consumers’
prioritize lower prices over ethics. The price when it comes to buying tickets is both a necessary and sufficient
factor as the Danes prioritize price before anything else when buying a flight ticket.
"Conscious consumers’ that are informed of Ryanair’s employees’ working conditions will not buy Ryanair
tickets". This hypothesis has been made in order to check if the enlightenment of such conditions will affect the
conscious consumers’ choice, when choosing what company to buy their ticket from. To answer the
hypothesis, the researchers therefore need to investigate if the conscious consumers are enlightened or not.
64% of the survey respondents defined themselves as conscious consumers to some - and to a high extent. The
researchers argue that the definition of a conscious consumer is a consumer who will be affected by
enlightenment when it comes to buying a product/service.
In order to test if the hypothesis can be accepted or rejected the researcher will need to analyze the 64% of the
respondents defined as conscious consumers. This will be conducted by cross-checking the survey question
about whether the respondents are a conscious consumer together with their prior knowledge of the
relationship between Ryanair and their employees. Thus separating the conscious consumers into two
categories; respondents that knows about Ryanair’s working conditions and who does not. This is further cross -
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
checked with questions regarding own experience with Ryanair and whether they prior to the survey would
buy their tickets, and if they would buy Ryanair’s tickets after proving them with some facts about the
company. The result of the cross-check is as follows;
Conscious consumers on buying Ryanair tickets (prior to
survey and enlighten doing survey) (%)
Conscious consumers
6,67
yes-yes
Not enligthened
4,76
no-no
no->only
no->don't know
27,14
3,81
11,43
1,43
1,90
0,95
maybe->possibily/don't know
yes->don't know
Yes->possibly
yes/maybe->no/only
24,76
12,86
0,48
0,48
3,33
6,19
12,38
21,43
From the table it can be read that 33.81% (6.67% ‘yes-yes’ answers + 27.14% ‘no-no’ answers) did not change
opinion after being informed about Ryanair’s conditions, and in addition 24.76% of the conscious consumers
did not know whether they would buy Ryanair’s tickets or not. Thereby 58.57% of the conscious consumers did
not have a change of heart. This will however be argued to be of a higher percentage, as it will be argued that
the 11.43% that answered no to wanting to buy Ryanair’s tickets prior to the survey and later asked again
answered only if Ryanair changes their current conditions, are conscious and consistent in the ir answers. This is
argued on the basis, that conscious consumers do not wish to support pure conditions, but are these
conditions changes to their standards, there is nothing hindering them from purchasing the product/service.
The total percentage of conscious consumers there did not change opinion is therefore 70%. Hence 1.9%
changed from a ‘no’ to’ do not know’, whereas the last 28.1% did change their opinion towards not supporting
Ryanair, hence 21.43% changed from a clear ‘yes’ to a ‘no’ or ‘only if their current conditions are changed’.
From the latter just a little over half of them, did not have any prior knowledge about Ryanair.
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
With the survey results it is then possible to conclude on the hypothesis "Conscious consumers’ that are
informed of Ryanair’s employees’ working conditions will not buy Ryanair tickets", that there are strong
evidence towards accepting the hypothesis. This is concluded as only 6.67% of the conscious consumer wanting
to buy Ryanair’s tickets before also wanted to do so after the survey, hence being provided with information
have changed 30% of the conscious consumers’ saying ‘yes’ prior to the survey, opinion towards Ryanair. The
hypothesis is further substantiated by the fact that 30.95% of the 38.57% saying ‘no –no/only if Ryanair change
their conditions’, were knowledgeable about Ryanair’s working conditions prior to the survey. Lastly, the fact
that 60% (27.14% + 11.43% + 21.43%) do not want to buy Ryanair’s tickets, after ending the survey, are also an
indication for the respondents do not want to support Ryanair after being enlightened. Thereby one can state
that enlighten is a sufficient factor in regards to conscious consumers willingness to buy Ryanair tickets.
When taking a closer look at the table results, it becomes evident that some of the categories, especially ‘yesyes’ contradicts the belief of a conscious consumer. As if one was a conscious consumer, one would not
support the behavior at Ryanair. Determine the degree of consciousness of the conscious consumers, it will
become apparent whether the respondents saying that they are conscious consumers is it in fact, or if they are
acting out the discourse put forward by the media. This will thus also lead to a conclusion of the hypothesis
‘Consumers will in public primarily represent and put forward the socially adopted position regarding Ryanair,
but in private the consumer could be of a different opinion’. Reading the table below, 57.14% of the conscious
consumers, is argued to be true consumers, as they did not stray from their beliefs, answering ‘no’ to buying
Ryanair’s tickets after the survey, or ‘only if Ryanair change their current conditions’. Additionally 2.86% were
categories as conscious consumers, as they at first had answered ‘yes’ but ended up answering the same as the
former. This leaves 39.52% of the conscious consumers being neutral or not that conscious.
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Degree of consciousness
True conscious consumers
Conscious consumers
Knowledgeable
neutral consumers
Not enlightened
Not really conscious consumers
Non conscious consumers
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60
There is therefore evidence for that up to 39.52% may not be conscious consumers, but instead puts forward
the discourse of media or society they live in, therefore the hypothesis is accepted, as almost 40% is considered
significant. Goffman’s and Meyrowitz’ dramaturgical theory is therefore argued to be true in the case of the
consumers discourse towards Ryanair.
Having considered the background of the consumers more aspects needed to be considered which was first of
all the purpose of the flight. This led to the hypothesis: The purpose of the travel does not have an influence on
the fact that the Danish consumers prioritize 'price' over anything else when buying a flight ticket. When cross
checking the data it was first of all evident that there are no differences in the preference between work
related and private travels on the fact that the Danes prioritize 'price' over anything else when buying a flight
ticket. Second, when looking at the purpose for traveling as a private person it is evident that price is the
highest priority in both and thereby does the purpose not make a difference in this respect. Thereby the
hypothesis that the purpose does not have an influence on the prioritization of prize can be accepted
It becomes evident when analyzing the survey that the most dominant factor when buying plane tickets is the
price. Which can therefore be stated to be a necessary factor in Ryanair's and the consumers mutual relations.
One the other hand there are evidence that points at the majority of the consumers to some extent are
conscious consumers that reflects over the companies' reputation and the employees' working condition s
when buying tickets. It is however not significant enough for the consumers to not buy the tickets from
Ryanair.
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Discussion
The following paragraph will provide the project with a discussion of how Ryanair is challenging Danish working
conditions in the national airline industry and how this can be prevented by focusing on the stakeholder theory
as well as considering EU's role as the main stakeholder of Ryanair in regards to preventing the challenges that
might occur as a result of Ryanair operating in Denmark without negotiating with labor unions. Social
dumping is, as mentioned defined as the practice, undertaken by self -interested market participants, of
undermining or evading existing social regulations with the aim of gaining a competitive advantage. In other
words a situation where a market participant, in this case Ryanair 'invades' the Danish market and challenges
the existing social regulations which is the general practice of having collective agreements with labor unions.
This refusal of having collective agreement with labor unions can be argued to give Ryanair a competitive
advantage over the other companies in this setting, since it is the only airline company that is not having this
agreement with the labor unions. Taking all this into account one could say that what Ryanair is doing is social
dumping, since its actions is applicable to the definition.
Ryanair's entrance in Copenhagen Airport has caused a lot of debate and press coverage as Danish labor unions
have from the beginning shown their concerns of Ryanair's approach towards its employees. However, an
important criteria that allows Ryanair to enter the Danish market is the consumers, as without the consumers,
there is no Ryanair (Anders Mark Jensen, FPU Interview). Therefore it is also important for the Danish labor
unions to have support from this stakeholder group Ryanair and have them in the same believe of why it is not
good that the employees have bad working conditions. The survey conducted shows that many respondents
recognize the labor unions role in regards to negotiate for better working conditions, however will it then be
possible for the labor unions to change Ryanair's management of relationships of its employees? The
stakeholder theory, which recognizes the issue by not including ethics in the management of stakeholders,
states that this should not be an issue in regards to profit maximizing. Therefore it can be argued that it should
be possible to satisfy the interest of the stakeholder groups, namely; labor un ions and employees, without
damaging the interest of consumers or in making profit. This is due to the acknowledgement of the
dependency between the stakeholders, which means that the interest of consumers cannot be reach without
satisfying the interest of the employees also (Freeman, 2010: 24-29). As stated in the analysis, it can be
argued that the employees of Ryanair are not managed with ethics and in order to do so, the labor unions have
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
been proved as a necessary factor in order to implement this. However, it is proven through history, that
Ryanair has no intention to negotiate with labor unions, which indicates that there are no future of
implementing ethics in its relationship management. From the business perspective, there will be difficulties
when the interest of all stakeholders are not considered and cared for. To further substantiate this, is stating
what was concluded in the analytical part regarding the consumers prioritizing when buying flight tickets. Here
the price was the highest priority, regardless of personal background. This leads the project to believe that
Ryanair's low-price strategy will continue, as long as the consumers still prioritize the key characteristic within
Ryanair's product, namely; price, because as long as the consume rs are buying products from Ryanair, then it
will continue making profit. Now, if we ought to look towards the future, will Ryanair's profit maximizing
continue in the long run? This is an important question to ask in this project as the survey analysis indicates
that there is a change in, what company the consumers want to buy flight tickets from, when they have been
enlightened about the working conditions of the employees. The debate about Ryanair and its working
conditions for its employees, have informed many consumers within Denmark about the company and the
conflict. Additionally, the survey shows that this has made the consumers to rethink their support to the low price tickets that Ryanair is providing the market with as the majority of the respondents changed their opinion
towards the choice of Ryanair's flight tickets when they were enlightened with the employees' working
conditions. When this is said, it is still not possible to conclude upon Ryanair's future, however the interaction
with the stakeholders cannot be ignored which means that Ryanair must acknowledge the raised concern of a
stakeholder group toward another, if Ryanair will continue creating value in the long-run in Denmark (Freeman,
2010)
This leads one to consider another stakeholder group, namely the EU, that is a necessary criteria for Ryanair's
ability to act as it does. Both, the Danish labor unions and Ryanair believe that they are right and that they are
going to win no matter where the case is brought up,-be it the Danish labor Court or the EU Court. However,
one could consider if EU is having an interest in putting on more strict rules for the companies since it has been
seen in previous cases that economic freedom is a high priority for the union and if setting of these rules will
solve the problem. However, the case is defined as being a national matter by the labor unions and thereby
one could consider whether a new law, as the one that was introduced in France (the case of Ryanair in
Marseille) would help prevent the issue of social dumping to happen - also in the future. If starting to
legislate in this area one might have to rethink the rules behind the national market, as one might have to
rethink the entire system and change the labor system (Henrik Bay-Clausen, 3F Interview).
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
But what are the consequences for Denmark if the Danish labor court refuses to let the Danish labor unions
making a sympathy strike against Ryanair? This will mean that Ryanair will have the right to stay and keep
operating in Denmark without being forced to entering into agreements with labor unions. It can namely be
argued that if Ryanair continues operating and challenging the national flight industry companies through high
competition as it provides the Danes with cheap flight tickets, the airline companies that are operating in
Denmark will be forced to lower their flight ticket prices. This can lead to a destruction of many airline
companies such as SAS that is already challenged and on the verge of going bankrupt. (Hall and Kongskov,
2015).
However, the companies might be able to survive if they compete with Ryanair by selling cheap flight tickets.
But in order for that to happen while also making profit, the airline companies will have to face the reality of
Ryanair and can be tempted to lower their working standards by recruiting and hiring foreign workers who are
more willing to work for lower wages. This will lead to a change in the national airline industry where Ryanair’s
values on effectiveness rather than paying will be the le ading position. This means that on the longer run,
Ryanair will push their lack of working conditions into the national airline industry and thereby challenge the
Danish model 27.
Conclusion
This project concludes, that Ryanair is bringing working conditions to Denmark that are not aligned with the
perception of the Danish. In fact, according to Anders Mark Jensen from FPU, Ryanair is the wors t in industry
when it comes to challenge these working conditions since it does not wish to make a collective agreement.
This led the project to consider the role of the labor unions, which has been proven to be a necessary factor in
explaining how Ryanair can change the working conditions for its employees.
The stakeholder theory identified the key stakeholders related to the case of Ryanair in Denmark, and provided
the project with the framework of understand that the, employees, labor unions and EU are all necessary
27
Ha ll, Ol e og Jes per Kongs kov: Københavns overborgmester angriber Ryanair. In: Københa vns overborgmes ter a ngri ber Rya na i r,
16.05.2015. Ava i l able a t: http://www.b.dk/na ti ona l t/koebenha vns -overborgmes ter-a ngri ber-rya na i r La s t a cces ed: 27.05.2015
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
factors to explain how it is possible for Ryanair to challenge Danish working conditions. Another important
aspect is the single market in the EU. The single market has, namely provided the EU member countries with
the free movement of labor that has made it possible for many companies to operate in foreign countries. The
airline company Ryanair is one of those who has utilized and extended its business throughout Europe,
including Denmark. Those aspect together with mutual recognition, judicial activism, rule shopping,
neoliberalism and regulated capitals made the project accept the hypothesis that the single market is a
necessary factor in making it possible for Ryanair to challenge the Danish working conditions.
It has been further proven that the ay Ryanair is acting in the European airline industry is in aligned with the
practice, undertaken by self-interested market participants, of undermining or evading existing social
regulations with the aim of gaining a competitive advantage, which has been used to defined the practice of
social dumping. As it was mentioned this is the approach that Ryanair is taking when expanding its business to
Denmark and refuse to make a collective agreement with Danish labor unions. Furthermore, the project
concludes that when it comes to the interest of consumers, when buying flight tickets, price is of highest
priority. However, is has been concluded that enlightenment about working conditions of Ryanair's employees
have made consumers to rethink their choice of buying low-price tickets from Ryanair since doing this it makes
one support the social dumping that Ryanair is causing. However, Ryanair is still the biggest airline company in
Europe and are getting more and more consumers, despite the bad reputation it has. Thereby this leads one to
consider Goffman's front stage and backstage theory, which states that even though the consumer in public
states that they will not buy tickets from Ryanair they might have another private opinion.
Even though the project concludes that there exist evidence that prove the Goffman's theory, it has still been
discussed that Ryanair's future success on the market in unstable, due to the consumers perception of the
company and also the strength of the Danish labor unions. This is further substituted by the stakeholder
theory, which states that a business needs to satisfy the interest of all stakeholder groups. However the
project concludes that the labor unions and consumers cannot by themselves prevent from practices social
dumping, and therefore the protection should come from a supranational level, namely the EU. The union has
been proved by process tracing to be a necessary factor for providing Ryanair with the framework that aloud it
to act and thereby practice social dumping. Therefore the project concludes that in order to prevent this from
happing in the future, EU has to regulated some of its rules, so they have the same meaning in all member
states.
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
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Spring 2015
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Cudjoe, Joanna Ama Thue, Annette Graae Holm, Sara Malene Justesen: Interview of Henrik Bay-Clausen ,
Copenhagen, 10.04.2015
Cudjoe ,Joanna Ama Thue, Sara Malene Justesen: Interview of Alessandra Cocca, Copenhagen, 20.04.2015
Afnan Azzouz, Annette Graae Holm: Interview of Anders Mark Jensen, Copenhagen, 11.05.2015.
Others
Azzouz. Afnan , Annette Graae Holm, Joanna Ama Thue Cudjoe, Sara Malene Justesen: Debate with
'Socialistik Folkeparty Ungdom', 'Konservativ Ungdom', Allessandra Cocca (former employeed of Ryanair)
and 'Flyvebranchens Personal Union', Hillerød, 21.04.2015.
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Appendix
I: Interview with Henrik Bay Clausen from 3F
Kan du fortælle lidt om dig selv og din baggrund i 3F
Det kan jeg godt jeg hedder Henrik Bak Clausen, jeg er 55 år og jeg har været medlem af SED, 3F altså SED før
det blev til 3F altid det vil sige siden jeg gik ud af skolen det vil sige siden jeg var 16. Så har jeg har forskellige
ufaglærte jobs og blevet tillidsmand og fællestillidsmands og blevet fagligsekretær her ansat fagligsekretær.
Det var jeg nogle år og så blev jeg valgt næstformand og så blev jeg valgt som formand. Og det er jo en blandet
landhandel det her og min egen baggrund er ikke fra luftfarten. Det er det blevet kan man så sige. Jeg er
kommet til at blive næsten synonym med luffarten på mange måder og jeg tænker meget i luffart og det er jo
fordi at størstedelen af medlemmerne her er jo i luffarten og jeg har brugt rigtig meget tid på det altså udover
det overenskomstmæssige så først uddannelse i mange år og så senere meget det med det internationale, som
jeg bruger meget tid på nu og luftfartspolitisk i det hele taget
1. Hvad mener Du er problematikken bag hele Ryanair debatten? Hvad handler det helt konkret om?
Jamen dybest set handler det jo om at man ønsker transport skal være billiger og det er et politisk ønske i hele
verden sådan set. I hvertfald i store dele af verdenen og især i EU og hvis man skal kunne opretholde kan vi
kalde udbytningen af eller udnyttelse eller have glæde af at der er billig produktion i østen og Afrika og sådan
noget så skal man have billig transport for ellers mister man gevinsten. Så er profitten for lille. Så i rigtig mange
systemer, politiske systemer, er der en eller anden konsensus om, at transport skal være billigt og det er sådan
set det fuldstændigt grundlæggende bagvedliggende om man liberaliserer alt. Stort set alle reguleringer der
har været i luftfartsbranchen og i andre brancher er liberaliseret . Der er stort set frit marked/tag-selv bord på
alle hylder . Der er selvfølgelig nogen sikkerhedsting og sådan noget man skal opfylde! Gør man så det kan godt
være en diskussion, men kan ikke gå ud for eksempel og sige at Ryanair har flere ulykker end andre heldigvis
da! Men det kan man så i nogle andre lande, hvor man kan se at det også er gået udover sikkerheden og der er
nogle luftfartsselskaber ude i verden der er på sådan en sortliste, men ikke nogen i Vesteuropa i hvert fald
overhovedet.Men altså det drejer sig om at man ønsker billig transport og derfor har gjort det nemt og lave
billig virksomhed. Dvs. så er det overladt til markedskræfterne kan man godt sige hvis man tæller
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
fagbevægelsen og vores styrke med til markedskræfterne eller de mekanismer der er på arbejdsmarkedet i
hvert fald og tage den handske op og se om man kan slås med det. Specifikt med Ryanair det var nogle
fagforeninger der gjorde, som man plejer at gøre det i Irland og det er det jo i det er her tilfælde da det er
et Irskfirma og der fik de godt nok nogen over nakken ,var små og var ikke stærke nok og begik fejl og blev
stævnet i retten og alt muligt man ikke lige havde set komme dengang og som vi heller ikke er vant til
på det danske arbejdsmarked. Men nu er de her og så bruger vi sådan set nogenlunde de traditionelle midle r
som vi tror er efter dansk lov og ret og det er så det der bliver behandlet i arbejdsretten lige nu. Og når det er
færdigt så bliver der formenligt en lovlig hovedkonflikt for den fagforening der er flybranchen personaleunion
og så får vi en lovlig sympatikonflikt og det er ligesom os der er musklerne her kan man godt sige som skal gøre
det effektiv. Os, HK og metal for den sags skyld, men primært os.
2. Er strategien om at nægte dialogen, en fremgangsmåde som du oplever andre virksomheder også
benytter? Og hvad mener Du konsekvensen(erne) er ved sådan en strategi?
Altså der jo en del af den Danske model er jo en samarbejd tænkning også det at man har et retssystem i
fællesskab normalt altså det fagretslige system jo båret af parterne med tilføjelse af højesteretsdommer. Man
kan sige at staten sikre at der er uvildig retssag og sådan. Men ellers er det jo langt hen ad vejen parterne selv
der driver det retssystem man har og siger vi har lavet aftalerne det er også os selv der fortolker hvordan
aftalerne skal forstås, hvis der ikke er enighed. Og går det galt så har man en udefrakommende en opmand og
kan man ikke blive enige om andet så er det en højesteretsdommer meget tit landsretsdommer og kan man
slet ikke blive enige så er det arbejdsretten der udpeger en og dvs. så er vi ude i det hvor det er lovreguleret,
arbejdsretten er jo lovreguleret. Så den danske model er sådan lidt et samarbejde mellem en lille smule statslig
regulering og meget parts regulering og det er jo det vi er vant til. Det bærende el ement i det kan man jo sige
det er jo så overenskomsterne og i overenskomsterne der er jo en gensidig samarbejdspligt det er der også i
hovedaftalen og det går jo selvfølgelig galt nogen gange med jævne mellemrum på det danske arbejdsmarked.
Men konflikter i Danmark er jo intet at regne for i forhold til det man ser i andre lande, hvor man har sådan
voldsomt store strejker eller såkaldt vilde strejker eller aktioner, blokalder, fysiske blokader på gader og veje og
spærre grænser og lave aktioner, hælde sine produkter ud på vejen eller foran parlamenter eller hvad de nu
kan finde på i Frankrig og Spanien og sådan noget. Det gør de jo fordi de ikke rigtig har de samme systemer
som vi har! Så konsekvensen af det er at hvis ikke man har et eller andet aftale reguleret ting inklusiv, hvor man
kan behandle det så bliver det jo sådan en mere, hvad skal man sige militant arbejdsmarked, hvor man så slås
på anden vis og en af de måder man så slås på det er jo også det civilretslige system vi ser jo også nu
at Ryanair har stævnet i hvert fald SAS som luftfartselskab, de har stævnet nogle medarbejdere her
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
medlemmer i 3F i deres faglige klub har de stævnet og muligvis også stævnet Københavnslufthavn det har vi
ikke fået bekræftet. De truer jo alle der er jo ingen tvivl om at de truer alle med juridiske søgsmål af forskellig
art også selvom de ikke gør det og det havde vi egentligt også fået at vide i forvejen at de ville, der var nogle
irske folk herover tidligere på året de sagde at de ville stævne det herfra og til helved et og de er ligeglade om
de sådanset får noget ud af det bare de kan skræmme jer og trække tiden ud så kan det godt være at de taber
bagefter.Men det er jo noget vi slet ikke er vant til det er jo meget sjældent at vi har civile søgsmål på
arbejdsmarkedet i Danmark, fordi man har det fagretslige system til at håndtere det. Det er jo ikke fordi at vi
altid som fagforeningsfolk står og klapper i vores små buttede hænder over arbejdsretten og sådan noget,
bestemt ikke, men altså der er ingen tvivl om at vi får sådan lidt amerikanske tilstande eller hvad ved jeg hvor
det hele foregår i restsale, det er i hvert fald ikke noget der gavner nogen. Så man kan sige at denne her lidt
trygge rolige arbejdsmarked vi kender i de Nordiske lande med ind imellem nogle hårde arbejdskampe, men
meget få ift. hvad vi ser ude i verden, det er truet af sådan noget her, at der kommer sådan et firma her som er
fuldstændigt ligeglade og bygger på at være ligeglade med alt også med hvordan man normalt vil opføre sig
overfor sine passager, det har de jo også været ligeglade med. Det har jo været deres strategi at når man får
sådan en billig billet så må man jo bare finde sig i at vi er som man er så det er jo på alle områder og det er
jo ikke særligt godt set fra sådan et Nordisk/skandinavisk synspunkt, hvis jeg var rejsende ville jeg slet ikke
synes det var godt uanset hvad. Vi så da de skulle afsted der kom der nogen, der blev forsinket., der kom i
rullestol altså handikappet det var bare ærgerligt de var ligeglade, hvorfor de var bl evet forsinket det kan godt
være det var din rullestol der tog for lang tid at få ud af taxaen eller et eller andet, men vi lukker 40 minutter
før, slut færdigt kan du ikke forstå det!
3. Er Ryanair det eneste problematiske selskab eller findes der også problemer med andre selskaber i
branchen?
Der findes helt sikkert også andre men sådan noget med kvaliteten af produktet det tør jeg ikke at udtale mig
om for jeg kender ikke Easyjet eller Vueling eller Airberlin eller sådan et eller andet som rejseselskab og
hvordan de opfører sig der det tør jeg ikke at sige noget om de har i hvert fald overenskomst og ikke
nødvendigvis for krummede overenskomster slet ikke, men de har de der basale ting de anerkender
fagforeningerne og de anerkender at der er kollektive aftaler og de har de der basale ting som man jo tror er
løgn i 2015 som ikke findes i Danmark sådan noget med at få løn under sygdom og sådan noget. Hvis man så
ikke helt ved hvor man er socialsikret, de siger jo at man er ansat i Irland, man er måske fr ansk eller
Italiensk eller ukrainsk statsborger, hvor skal man så få sygedagpenge, hvis det overhovedet findes i ens land
så det er nulindtægt man har når man er syg. Når man så ser på ham der piloten nede i Germanwings, der fløj
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
ind i alperne, som skjulte sin sygdom, så kan man sige det er jo så, uden at drage sammenligning i øvrigt, men
man kan jo så sige at hvis man ikke får løn under sygdom får man så lyst til at gå på arbejde når man er syg det
gør man jo nok. Det kan være at skjule en psykisk sygdom det kan være at skjule en anden sygdom fordi du får
altså ikke løn når du ikke er på arbejde. Så på det punkt der er Ryanair nok de værste af de europæiske, der
kan være nogle østeuropæiske vi ikke har styr på og vi ikke kender og de flyver jo heller ikke til KBH, men af
dem der flyver til København altså alle der har base i KBH uden undtagelse har en overenskomst enten i deres
hjemland eller i Danmark og når jeg siger deres hjemland så er det fordi Norgwegian er en undtagelse de har
overenskomst i Norge, efter aftale mellem danske og norske fagforeninger så har de overenskomster i Norge.
SAS har også sådan en lidt sjov konstellation, da deres piloter har både i Norge og Sverige og Danmark, så en
svensk pilot der flyver i DK er sådan set på en svensk ove renskomst selvom han flyver i Danmark, men okay
overenskomster og acceptable osv. SÅ er der de der asiatiske og mellemøstlige luftfartselskaber der er helt
klart, altså jeg har ikke kendskab til dem alle sammen, men der er nogen af dem jeg ikke ville have lyst til at
flyve med af etiske grunde, men det lægger udenfor vi kan ikke gøre noget ved dem der ikke har base i DK og så
derudover er der også rækkeviden af hvad vi kan klare, hvis vi skulle klare nogle af verdens største luftfart
selskaber som har uendeligt med penge, som de mellemøstlige har ikke , det kan vi slet ikke altså. Men den dag
de laver en base i DK så kan vi begynde at snakke om det. Så det er sådan meget med at vi bliver nødt til at
sondre mellem hvem der har base og hvem der ikke har base, ligesom hvis i nu køber tøj som i godt ved er
lavet under lidt betænkelige forhold i Indien eller et eller andet det kan godt sådan lidt puha og findes der
egentligt et mærke der er lidt bedre end de andre og sådan noget det er en ting, men skulle man st å og se dem
blive produceret i DK og se det i fjernsynet og vide at her var urimelige forhold og man faktisk havde en
mulighed for at gøre noget ved det så er vi i en anden situation. Vi er nu i den situation at hvis de har base i
Danmark så kan vi gøre noget ved de urimelige forhold!
4. Hvilken indflydelse mener Du, at forbrugerne har på Ryanair konflikten?
Det var meget i forlængelse af det andet det er jo meget smart, men det kan de nemlig have. De kan bestemt
have indflydelse på dem. Vi så det med Fransk vin på et tidspunkt, hvordan fransk vin forsvandt jo ikke
fuldstændigt, men det stoppede så og sige op og betød at det blev for evigt indført i markedet for vin i alle
mulige andre lande end DK. Dengang de lavede den der atom prøve sprængning og de t kan man sige så
forbrugerne kan have indflydelse på tingene. Jeg ville ikke selv flyve med Ryanair jeg prøver sådan nogenlunde
selv at tænke mig om og købe økologisk mad det gør vi også her i fagforeningen så vidt det er muligt, kaffen er
i hvert fald økologisk, mælken, det er jo overvejende økologisk man kan jo ikke være verdens mester på alle
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
distancer, men sådan nogenlunde. Sådan ville jeg også gøre hvis jeg skulle købe en flyrejse det er klart det er
selvfølgelig en udfordring at fagbevægelsen må ikke som kampmiddel opfordre til forbruger boykot det er
simpelthen fuldstændigt forbudt. Så det må vi ikke det er sådan en etisk overvejelse. Jeg må gerne sige det jeg
siger nu at jeg ikke selv ville gøre det, men der er jo andre der rejser den forbrugermæss ige side af det og siger
vælg et andet luftfartsselskab det er politiske partier og forbruger organisationer og alle mulige andre jo gøre
så de kunne have indflydelse på det. Der er lavet nogle meningsmålinger og en af viser at der er meget stor
forståelse overfor at i befolkningen 70% af befolkningen i gennemsnit altså LO og ikke LO medlemmer osv. i
hele landet, den er nemlig også specificeret på hvor man bor og om man er medlem af LO forbundet, men 70%
siger at det er socialt dumping. Nogle af de 70 % vil så have den holdning at de siger at det kan man bare ikke
gøre noget ved, det er socialt dumping, men det er bare ærgerligt, men det er jo et imponerende højt antal der
godt kan se at det er socialt dumping. Og så er der også noget at tale ind i altså har du lyst til at flyve med noget
der er socialt dumping? Så er der så de 30 % der er ligeglade og det er jo så rigeligt til at holde liv i sådan et
luftfartsselskab hvis det så er.
5. Hvordan tror Du, at sagen påvirker dansk lovgivning?
Altså Danmark bliver udfordret hver gang der kommer nogen der er verdensmestre i at finde smuthuller, for
eksempel betaler de jo ikke skat, altså deres ansatte. Det er fordi de finder smuthuller
den her dobbeltbeskatnings aftale mellem Danmark og Irland, for ellers ville det heller ikke kunne lade sig gøre
at få en løn på 10.000 kroner om måned når man lever i Danmark. Så vi lever på utrolige mange måder med
nogen lov sæt også de her luftfarts regler de er født efter anden verdenskrig og i forbrødringens tid og det
forinden samarbejde mellem nationer og alt muligt andet. De har ikke været tænkt på at der kom sådan
nogen der er fuldstændigt ligeglade og bare skal finde huller. Det bør få indflydelse på dansk lovgivning og
sådan set også på EU regler bl.a., nu vi sådan nede i noget af det der lidt langhåret, men altså blandt andet det
her med, hvad land har man base i. Nu er det jo de flyvenebesætninger så det er jo ikke noget jeg er
verdensmester i, men at de skal overholde basereglerne og at de ikke bare kan lave sho pping og sige jamen jeg
har base i et land, jeg mener i øvrigt ikke at der er social sikring det land, der i Irland. Og jeg mener i øvrigt
heller ikke at jeg skal overholde det her lands regler når jeg nu har base i det her land Det er jo det vi så
med Ryanair hvor de tabte en retssag om det og skulle betale et meget stort beløb i Frankrig og sagde 'jamen
så skrider vi herfra, så vil vi ikke være her mere'. Der trak de sig ud af Marseille i en tid og det er den måde,
som de opererer på, så straffer de. Man kan jo sige her i KBH vil det ikke gøre noget hvis de forsvandt, men har
de nu som de har i ja altså den lufthavn de flyver til som hedder Marseille der er de jo den eneste store måske
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
det eneste luftfart selskab. Jeg ved det ikke. De har det tit med at de kommer ind i sådan nogen gamle militær
lufthavne eller sådan nogle stagnerede lufthavne Så de jo lige pludselig afhængige af dem der nede når de
begynder at bygge op. Og hvis de så de truer med at trække sig væk, så kunne det jo godt være at de fik en lidt
bedre behandling i det nationale lovsystem der så måtte være i har franskmændene altså været ligeglade. De
har bare holdt fast og ført sag an mod dem og vundet den.
6. Hvilke reaktioner har I fået fra jeres medlemmer omkring den her sag?
Jamen de er meget bekymrede for, at det her det breder sig. billedligt talt så er der et lille hjørne ude
i Københavns lufthavn, hvor der er nogen, der ikke får løn under sygdom, ikke får pension og ikke får en løn
man kan leve af i DK. Der er ikke nogen der ved hvor de bor endnu. Jeg håber ikke, at de bor ulovligt ude i
lufthavnen i en lille barakke de har ude i lufthavnen det er nogle pæne pavilloner de har derude, men det får vi
jo at se hvor de bor. Men det er vi selvfølgelig bekymret for at det her det breder s ig til andre. Så de er både
solidariske overfor dem det får udover, men de er også bekymret for at det rammer dem selv.
7. Hvordan mener Du, at 3F kan påvirke sagen?
Det er jo på mange måder dels politisk og 3f er jo med i det der hedder luftfarsråder og med i noget der er jo
også en arbejdsgruppe om social dumping i dansk luffart og der er man jo med til at komme med nogen
anbefalinger for nogen af er sådan lidt bløde og man kunne godt tænke sig dem lidt skrappere vi kunne også
godt tænke os et opgør med det der med at transport bare skal være så billigt og ureguleret. Men vi kan være
med til at rejse de politiske elementer der er af det sådan så der er lige vilkår. Så selskaberne skal opfylde
samme betingelser så de ikke kan lave regelshopping, ikke kan lave skatteunddragelser. Nu kan i jo ikke se det
når i laver båndet, men tegningen viser, hvordan de jonglerer rundt. Ansatte i et land, fly i et andet land,
motorerne kunne for sin skyld være i et tredje land, få udbetalt deres løn i et femte land og bo i et 6. land og
hvad ved jeg. Jeg ved ikke hvor mange forskellige enheder vi kommer op på. Norweigan,
luftfartsselskabet Norwegian der er i to dele, der er Norwegian airshotte som er det norske og så er der også et
i Danmark og Sverige, men hvad skal man sige den europæiske del af Norwegian de har sådan okay
overenskomst. SÅ er er der Norwegian air international NAI, det kunne man så også godt kalde TIS Airlines og
det er jo også dejligt at sige på engelsk, fordi de har base i Thailand, flyet er indregistreret i Irland og de er
ansat i Singapore, det er dem der har billige rejser til USA. Det er jo sjovt nok USA er jo liberalismens land, men
de har meget skrappere regulativer omkring sådan noget her end man har i EU og derfor så kan de endnu ikke
få lov at flyve Danmark - USA med tredjeverdens besætning. De kan ikke få lov at flyve med en Thai besætning
for eksempel så de er nødt til at flyve med en europæisk besætning med europæiske borgere, fordi Europa og
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
USA har nogle aftaler , men de kan altså godt være ansat et andet sted. Så de laver altså sådan nogen numre og
det er så noget af det man politisk godt kan gå ind og arbejde på og de har altså ikke base i DK så der kan vi ikke
lige gøre noget ve det. Norwegian air international, TIS Airlines, men der er det ellers det faglige som 3F kan
gøre noget ved og det er så det vi prøver at gøre med de lovlige metoder , der finder der hedder konfliktvarsel,
hvis det kommer dertil, at vi selv skal være part i det, direkte part i det, eller sympati konflikt varsel som er det
det drejer sig om her med Ryanair. Men de der udenlandske selskaber der kommer hertil og
skal operere lufthavnen, som hedder handling selskaber altså last og lost og skubbe flyet ud og rengøre
toiletter og hvad ved jeg, catering. Dem har vi jo jævnligt varslet konflikter overfor for at få en løsning og for at
få gang i en forhandling og det går også fint nok og det gør det med og uden konfliktvarsel. Der er ikke noget
der! Nogen gange vælger vi ikke at gøre det. Det er sådan hvordan fornemmer vi det auraen er. Det sidste nye
der er kommet i mensisaviation de var her jo for et par år siden og valgte dengang at lade mensesdiana at gå
konkurs og så efterlod medarbejderne med en ordentlig regning og lufthavnen med en ordentlig regning og alle
de rejsene der skulle afsted med en lang næse. Det var jo meget lidt pænt af dem det var jo en stor koncern og
de valgte bare at sige at den danske del gik konkurs. De kunne lige så godt have sagt jamen vi er et stort brand
her i Europa indenfor den her branche og så å vi lige leve med i nogle måneder at det måske ikke går så godt
her så holder vi lige liv forretningen laver noget andet sætter folk på uddannelse laver nogle projekter lige
holder det i gang. Og det der især er grotesk og når man ser tilbage n så var det bare det de skulle have gjort,
fordi så havde de klaret sig pisse godt og fået en god position. For der kom selvfølgelig nogen og fyldte, det var
da Sterling gik konkurs, der kom jo nogen og fyldte hullerne op efter Sterling og så havde de fået dem som
kunder garanteret, Norwegian kom og udvidede kraftigt og nu er de kommet tilbage her 5 år efter
med Norwegian som kunde og vi valgte så i det her tilfælde ikke at varsle konflikt, fordi vi kendte dem i
forvejen og vi mente godt at vi havde fat i dem og det har vi jo også. Men altså det er noget af det vi kan gøre vi
kan bruge traditionelle kampmidler, forhandlingsmidler, kampmidler og strejke varsel er jo en invitation til
forhandling det er jo ikke fordi vi ønsker en konflikt, fordi det er jo også noget der er dyrt for os, hvis vi skal til
at lave konflikt så skal vi jo forsørge folk og jeg er ikke sikker på at de bliver pisseglade hvis de skal gå på
konflikt understøttelse, hvis det er nogen der i forvejen får en fuld løn i en lufthavn og så skal til og leve med
konfliktunderstøttelse. Så derfor er det jo ikke noget vi drømmer om at gøre, men vi er helt klar til at gøre det
hvis det er nødvendigt. SÅ der er de to spor det politiske påvirkning og det bruger vi alle mulige forskellige tider
og det bruger vi rigtig meget tid på. Det er jo sådan noget den rigtige fagbevægelse bruger meget tid og energi
på. De der kristelige eller et eller andet de jo aldrig nogensinde gør eller har gjort. Så lobby virksomhed både på
dansk og på europæisk plan, kontakt til politikere deltage i sådan noget som råd og nævn og kommissioner og
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
alt det der. Og så er der det helt almindelige faglige arbejde med at kræve overenskomst og om nødvendigt
konflikt for at få en overenskomst.
8. Hvad er det bedst mulige udfald af det her?
Det er at der er nogenlunde lige vilkår i brancherne ikke. Det kan aldrig blive helt ens og det skal det heller ikke
være! nogen steder har man en firmafilosofi, der prioritere nogen ting og andre steder har medarbejderne
nogen ønsker så det er også i dag en variation. Nogen har for eksempel kortere arbejdstid, fordi det er
prioriteret igennem årene, end andre har. Til gengæld har de så måske mindre pensionsindbetaling eller et
eller andet, men lidt mindre i løn, fordi de arbejde færre timer de får en fuld månedsnorm udbetalt, men
arbejde så lidt færre timer og den månedsnorm afspejler så at de arbejder lidt færre timer. Så det er det vi går
efter at der skal være nogenlunde lige vilkår og det gør vi af to grunde eller af mange grunde, men i hvert fald
af to grunde og det er at prisen for en arbejdsgiver, der kommer udefra og skal købe en times arbejdskraft
indenfor det vi kalder handling flyhåndtering skal være nogenlunde den samme. Om så den er bygget op af
pension og om arbejdstid og noget andet i større og mindre grad, men bare bundlinjen det det koster og købe
den er blevet nogenlunde ens, plus/minus og lidt udsving. Så er der jo fair konkurrence og så sker der jo heller
ikke så meget for der er jo hele tiden skift. Det ene vinde ene det andet taber en kunde og der bliver flyttet
meget der nogen, som har lavet det samme arbejde for det samme firma i mange år, men de gør det måske for
en femte arbejdsgiver nu. SÅ det vil ikke opleve... Det kan godt være deres indkomst er sat forskelligt sammen ,
men det de grundlæggende skal spise kartofler for at det er sat lidt forskelligt sammen, men de får sådan
nogenlunde livsindkomst får de nogenlunde det samme selvom de er hoppet rundt mellem forskellige firmaer
og det er jo selvfølgelig vigtigt for os at de oveni den usikkerhed det giver, kommer vi med over eller kommer vi
ikke med over, er det hele det sammen og hvad nu med ditten og datten, så i hvert fald at de ved at når de skal
se tilbage på deres arbejdslivs deres livsindkomst har været ved at være i lufthavnen ikke er sådan væsentligt
påvirket af at de har hoppet rundt. Så det er det der er vores største interesse, men vi er selvfølgelig også
interesseret i at der skal være lige konkurrencevilkår for firmaerne der kommer udefra. For det
er totalt liberaliseret marked, der er ikke nogen regulering ellers.
9. Vi har læst en rapport fra Transportministeriet om nogen initiativer der er blevet taget. Kender du til dem
eller har du læst dem?
Ja, men er det ikke dem med de 5 eller 7 anbefalinger?
Jo, mener du at det vil kunne løse problemet?
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Ja det er sådan lidt varmt luft. Det vil hjælpe hvis man ikke kan lave regelshopping altså med lovvalg og med
landevalg, basevalg, det vil helt klart hjælpe. Det vil det ! For de flyvende det jo ikke vores problem, det jo de
flyvendes problem, der har det der.
10. Hvor stor en indflydelse mener Du, at fagforeningerne i Danmark kan have på EU's lovgivning?
Jamen altså i hvert fald en indflydelse der står mål med vores størrelse. Vi jo har jo det der særkende i norden
at vi synes at arbejdsmarkedets parter meget skal regulerer tingene og vi har også generelt en høj organisation
procent de to ting hænger jo sammen. så kan man jo sige Sydeuropa, der har man en lav organisations procent,
og derfor måske mere interesseret i at EU skal regulere mange ting. Så det vi ønsker det er at EU skal lave klare
regler om forskellige ting, men ikke blande sig ind i konkrete løn og arbejdsforhold, men der må godt være
arbejdstids regler eller et eller andet altså ting, som og det jo også vigtigt for den flyvende del, det må godt
være EU reguleret og alt sådan noget med lovvalg og base valg og også altså omgås det som man
for eksempel siger at selvom du er kontraktet når man godt ved at det er en fiktiv kontraktansættelse. Du er i
virkeligheden ansat og under arbejdsanvisningen og dem der har instruktions og ledelses ansvaret for dig det er
for eksempel Ryanair, så er det for vores skyld fint at sige at så må EU gerne bestemme altså skal de sidestilles
med rigtige ansatte. Og så kan de komme udenom nogle af de der fidusnumre med det man kalder arme og
ben firmaer, som ender med at de hverken betaler skat eller får pension eller sygedagpenge eller noget som
helst. Men vores indflydelse på det er selvfølgelig også lidt op til os selv, hvor meget indflydelse vi vil have, der
er der lidt i en dansk fagbevægelse sådan, fordi man har den der holdning om at de ikke skal røre ved løn og
arbejdsforhold sådan generelt, altså dem vi aftaler i Danmark. Så har der også været lidt tilb ageholdenhed ved
at blande sig i eller prøve at påvirke de andre ting hvor man, som i forvejen er lovreguleret og det kunne vi godt
blive bedre til det er der ingen tvivl om.
12. Forventer du at der kommer en påvirkning af EU's lovgivning af den her sag?
Ja altså vi vil prøve at påvirke det og har gjort det sådan set længe. Ikke specielt Ryanair men social dumping i
lufthavnen og også om andre emner i luftfarten vi har arbejdet meget med partikel forurening for eksempel og
med klima spørgsmål . Det synes jeg er fint hvis EU kan regulere på sådan nogen ting med mindre udledning og
sådan
noget.
Det
der
er
problem
er
at
hvis
der
bliver
maksimum regler
altså hvis minimum bliver maksimum altså hvis man ikke må kræve noget der er mindre end det. Og det er
sådan noget man ser nogen gange fra EU at de siger for eksempel noget indenfor legetøj eller et eller
andet mærkeligt, at jamen nu har vi så lagt os på det her niveau så er der ikke nogen lande der må kræve
mindre end det. Altså når først et produkt er godkendt i et land så skal det også være godkendt i andre lande
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
og det vil vi selvfølgelig ikke have. Så vi vil arbejde for at minimums grænser, men selvfølgelig sådan så lande og
love stramme yderligere, nu er vi selvfølgelig over i det miljømæssige med partike l forurening ikke, men det
kunne også være om andre ting om brændstof og der er mange muligheder. Men konkret altså til den faglige
helt konkret til den faglige kamp der tror jeg ikke EU kommer til at blande sig ind i forhold til noget
med Ryanair andet end indirekte hvis med sådan noget her med lovvalg og basevalg det kunne de meget vel
komme til at blande sig i.
13. Hvad mener 3F er minimumskravene for en god arbejdsplads? Hvor går grænsen?
Jamen det er jo enormt svært at definerer for hvad er godt arbejde, men det er altså for det første at der er et
lønniveau og sikringsniveau, der ligesom svarer til det land man lever i. For her for eksempel Ryanairs ansatte
de har pligt til at bo her de har pligt til at bo indenfor 40 km indenfor basen. Dvs. måske kunne de lige bo over
på spidsen af Øresundsbroen ikke blandt andet i den anden ende altså de har pligt til at bo der. De skal have en
løn og en socialsikring af en art, som svarer til det land de i øvrigt bor i, som spiller sammen med de sociale
sikrings ting der er så er vi tilbage ved sådan noget ved løn under sygdom eller arbejdsmarked pension. Når
man skal bo og leve i Danmark så går det ikke at man skal sættes af bagerst på perronen fordi man ender
måske også med at bo her om 20 år og så er det ufedt at se at resten af samfundet de har altså fået 12% af
deres løn betalt i alle de 20 år til pension og jeg har fået ingenting. SÅ bliver de fattige til den tid. Med det
lønniveau de så får her vil de også være fattige nu. Det man på nudansk kalder 'workingp oor' eller på tysk
'arm trots arbeit', altså at man er fattig selvom man har et fuldtidsarbejde ikke. Så det er jo selvfølgelig en basal
ting det er at man kan leve af det på en anstændigvis i forhold til det land man bor i og betale skat så man er
med til at finansiere det samfund man bor i. Så er det selvfølgelig vigtigt at man ikke bliver syg af at gå på
arbejde. Så de der basale ting og om både at der er nogen, der har ret til at kontrollere en altså arbejdssyn eller
hvad ved jeg ikke. Bedrift sundhedstjenesteting og noget i den dur og lave miljøkontrol og sådan noget. at der
opfylder man de samme ting som de andre og er rask. SÅ er der den tredjedimension på alt arbejde det er er
det et godt arbejde i øvrigt altså kan man bruge hovedet hvis man gerne vi l det og sådan noget kan man nøjes
med at bruge hænderne hvis man gerne vil det eller begge dele. Det er jo sådan en anden ting og det er jo
meget individuelt, hvad den ene synes er godt arbejde er jo ikke det samme som det den anden synes det
arbejder vi jo også med selvfølgelig altså det udviklende arbejde
14. Hvad mener Du at medarbejderne i Ryanair skal gøre for at forbedre deres arbejdsvilkår? Er der noget de
kan gøre?
Det er der i højgrad ! de kan organisere sig og det gør de jo også til en hvis grad men fordi det er som det er
kørt det firma så er det jo fuldstændigt hemmeligt og alt, nu er det jo ikke os, men alt den kontakt som de
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
flyvendes fagforening har haft med dem foregår jo totalt i hemmelighed og det er jo ikke så lidt kontakt som de
har haft skulle man hilse og sige det jo ikke sådan at altså alt det vi får det får vi jo fra nogen af de ansatte
i Ryanair vi har fået kontrakter og lønsager og ting og sager. Så de skal organiserer sig og de skal slås og de skal
være solidariske i de lande de bor i og vi skal også behandle dem som kollegaer . Det dur ikke at vi ligesom siger
nej men det er også Ryanair et eller andet og gøre dem synonym de kan sgu ikke gøre for at de arbejder for et
skod firma. Og der var for eksempel en journalist der fik fat i nogen af dem over på basen i Billund. 8 unge
mennesker fra Italien, Spanien og 2-3 østeuropæiske lande, de deler et hus er ikke hjemme samtidigt så det er
jo to og to på værelserne, men de er jo ikke hjemme samtidigt eller ikke så tit hjemme samtidigt så det var fint
nok. De tjente de der ca. 10000 kroner om måneden betalte jo ikke skat og siger hvis jeg nu var arbejdsløs i
Spanien. Det kan jeg ikke huske hvor lang tid det er at de får hjælp dernede det er kort tid og det er ikke så højt
niveau. Så de gør det jo ikke for sjov skyld og de er også meget korte. Det er en af de luftfartsselskaber med
højest gennemstrømning, hvad man nu ved om dem og det er jo fordi de holder sig notorisk hemmeligt om
alting ikke, men det er altså noget af det de kan gøre de kan, vi skal behandle dem solidarisk, ordentligt og som
kollegaer bare være der og de skal være solidariske og selv henvende sig til de fagforeninger i de lande som de
er i og så må fagbevægelsen strikke et medlemskab sammen til dem, de r ligesom matcher at de tjener så lidt
som de gør og det har man jo en vis succes med i det der hedder Ryan air pilot group RPG og som i kan se
på Facebook og hjemmesider og sådan noget. Og det er jo helt fuldstændigt absurd at have en fagforening der
ligesom en hemmelig loge, hvor de dårligt nok kender hinanden fordi der kommer spioner ind og sådan
noget. Det gør de jo selvfølgelig og de har med møje og besvær fået sat en bestyrelse op og de mødes i
hemmelighed og sådan noget ikke. Det man jo ser i pressen er altid fra fyrede folk stort set med Ryan air.
Så det er det de kan gøre de kan organisere sig helt basalt.
15. Hvad mener Du, at konsekvenserne for Danmark som samfund er i sådan en sag?
Altså det er jo i en eller anden grad en nedadgående spiral, at så og det har vi jo set for længst vi har set
at Norwegian siger at vi er nødt til at kunne matche Ryanair og SAS siger vi er nødt til at kunne
matche Norwegian og da Norwegian lavede denne her konstruktion jeg fortalte om før, TIS konstruktionen der
havde en direktør og en anden en fra SAS de havde en kronik i Børsen eller Jyllandsposten, hvor de siger at nu
må politikerne gøre op vil de have det sådan her, for så gør vi også sådan og det vil sig så begynder man
at "udflaire" arbejdspladser og det vi ser her med Ryanair det er at vi også mister arbejdspladser eller altså de
stjæler arbejdspladser, det er jo ren kanibalisering.Så altså vi mister arbejdspladser og vi mister
skatteindtægter og vi mister borgere og vi får sådan et pendler samfund af underbetalte folk fra andre lande
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
der kommer her til og arbejder billigt i et stykke tid og ikke betaler skat. Og så skal danskerne begynde at tænke
lidt på, hvordan tror du så det går på lidt længere sigt det kan godt være vi lige fik en lidt billigere flyrejse, men
hvem er der til at betale min folkepension eller hvem er der til at betale når jeg skal på hospitalet og når mine
børn skal i børnehave. Så det får store konsekvenser. Stille og roligt så vil det undergrave det vi kalder et
velfærdssamfund, så enkelt er det egentligt
Har du noget du vil tilføje til sidst her?
Nej egentlig ikke.
II: Interview with Anders Mark Jensen from FPU
1. Hvad mener Du er problematikken bag hele Ryanair debatten? Hvad handler det helt konkret om?
Det handler om social dumping og det handler om den danske model. Det handler om at du har en virksomhed,
i det her tilfælde Ryanair som kommer til Danmark og ønsker og producerer som en dansk virksomhed på det
danske marked, men uden at være en del af det danske marked og derme d ikke opfylde lige vilkår for
konkurrence i luftfarten i Danmark. Derudover så handler det selvfølgelig også om, hvordan de tager deres
forhold for deres ansatte med ind i en model i Danmark som bare ikke passer sammen. Kort sagt.
2. Er strategien om at nægte dialogen, en fremgangsmåde som du oplever andre virksomheder også
benytter? Og hvad mener Du konsekvensen(erne) er ved sådan en strategi?
Jeg har dem godt nok lige foran mig de her spørgsmål, men jeg tror ikke jeg forstår det. Det er bare mere om
det i har oplevet som Ryan air gør lige nu, har i oplevet det udefra andre virksomheder også? Er der nogen
andre der også har opført sig på samme måde ?
Nej, eller der er selvfølgelig nogen, som kan minde lidt om dem, men Ryanair er jo helt specifik, både i den
måde som de behandler deres medarbejdere på, som er langt fra hvad normalen er, men også i forhold til
hvordan man agere overfor fagbevægelsen for dem er det gået hen og blevet sådan lidt, det er jo en del af
deres forretningsmodel ikke at behandle deres medarbejdere godt. at de nærmest holder sig stolte af at man
ikke har noget med fagbevægelsen at gøre, fordi det er sådan en politisk sag for dem og så handler det
selvfølgelig om at tjene så mange penge som overhovedet muligt og fuck de ansatte for at sige det ligeud. Så vi
har jo oplevet grimme virksomheder før, men jeg tror simpelthen ikke på at der er nogen, der kan
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
slå Ryanair på hvor dårligt man kan behandle ens medarbejdere og det er der alligevel noget der har slået
deres rekord i.
Hvem kunne det ellers være? Kunne du nævne nogen navne ?
Jamen altså sjovt nok så er det jo low-cost selskaber, som ligger i spidsen i forhold til at behandle sine
medarbejdere dårligt fordi det selvfølgelig handler om at komme ind på et marked hvor at man skal kun ne
tilbyde de mest billige billetter der overhovedet kan lade sig gøre og så er det så personalet der betaler prisen.
Du har et selskab som Norwegian som bestemt ikke er klassens bedste dreng i klassen. Så har du et som 'wauw'
er og så har du selvfølgelig også noget nede i Mellemøsten også.
4. Hvilken indflydelse mener Du, at forbrugerne har på Ryanair konflikten?
Altså groft sagt eller kort sagt kan man også sige der er jo ikke noget Ryanair hvis der ikke er nogen forbrugere
. Hvad siger du kunne du ikke lige gentage det ? Altså uden forbrugere så er der jo ikke noget virksomhed der
hedder Ryanair. Så de har vel alt afgørende betydning for Ryanair's success, det er selvfølgelig om de har
forbrugerne og i der tilfælde kunderne med.
5. Hvordan tror Du, at sagen påvirker dansk lovgivning? Hvis den overhovedet gør?
Jaaa altså det jo der hvor der er mange, der tager fejl for der er jo ikke nogen rigtig dansk lovgivning der
omfatter det her. Arbejdsmarkedet er jo et sted i Danmark hvor man hvad skal man sige selv aftaler sine egne
ting på arbejdsmarkedet, så har du få ferieting, få barsels ting en smule om funktionærloven som kun omfatter
visse dele af grupper visse dele af samfundet, som ligesom er de eneste der regulerer arbejdsmarkedet så
selvfølgelig noget i forhold til hovedkonflikter og sådan noget men alt andet er jo overenskomst stof og aftale
stof. Så på den måde vil de selvfølgelig ikke have nogen indflydelse på dansk lovgivning fordi der findes jo
sådan set ikke en egentlig dansk lovgivning på dette område
6. Hvilke reaktioner har I fået fra jeres medlemmer?
Altså for vores egne medlemmer, de flyvende? Ja altså piloterne og 'KabineDanmark', det er jo en fagforening
der er eget af vores medlemmer 100% så det jo egentligt dem der bestemmer hvad det er som vi skal lave som
fagforening så det er dem der har bedt os om at gøre det her. Så de er også ret kritiske? Nej de er bekymret,
de er både bekymrede for det personale der skal leve under de forhold som Ryanair byder dem i Danmark som
slet ikke matcher de forhold som de har kæmpet hårdt og så er de selvfølgelig bekymret for at det er deres tur
næste gang hvis Ryanair får held med deres så og sige spil. Jeg skal lige høre har I egentligt fået nogen
henvendelser direkte fra Ryanair ansatte? Ja. Okay hvad har deres bekymring været? Det er jo dybt fortroligt, ja
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
men de er jo hamerende bange, men det er jo nogen der er bekymrede over de forhold og ikke bryder sig om
det og ikke bryder sig om at være en del af det spil, som Ryanair ønsker at der er i Danmark.
7. Hvordan mener Du, at FPU kan påvirke sagen?
Ja du kan jo sige at hvis vi ikke havde taget sagen altså hvis ikke ligesom havde taget det op det her så var der
ikke sket noget som helst. SÅ det er jo klart at nu beder vi jo om lov til at konfli kte over en overenskomst, det
er jo det vi gør. Vi har bedt om en overenskomst, men det kan vi ikke få, så er vi så gået til arbejdsretten og
sagt at så vil vi godt have lov til at konflikte og få en overenskomst som man jo gør på det danske
arbejdsmarkedet. Det er jo klart at hvis vi finder den så er det jo stort, og så er vi selvfølgelig med til at sikre en
lige balance på arbejdsmarkedet både for medarbejdere, men også for konkurrencen. Og hvordan ser udsigten
ud er det sådan? Nå men vi er stadigvæk i retten.
10. Hvordan forventer Du at EU's lovgivning bliver påvirket af sådan en sag?
EU's altså at den bliver påvirket. Ja men det er jo ikke helt sådan som det fungerer. Det fungerer sådan at EU
har jo som sådan ikke noget med det her at gøre. Det er dansk arbejdsmarkedet og den danske model ligesom
man har nogle andre modeller i de fleste andre medlemslande i EU, hvor man har lovbestemt minimumsløn og
sådan noget det har man jo ikke i Danmark det er noget man aftaler i overenskomsterne og det betyder jo at
den eneste måde som EU kommer ind på det her det er jo at hvis vi taber i arbejdsretten, hvis vi skulle gå hen
og tabe i arbejdsretten, hvilket vi selvfølgelig ikke gør så kan EU blive indblandet på to måder enten siger
arbejdsretten at det her er de ikke kompetente nok til at skulle behandle i et dansk arbejdsmarked system,
derfor skal de spørge EU domstolen om vejledningen, så ryger den til EU domstolen, men det betyder at det er
en dansk dommer, der skal erklære sig selv inkompetent og sende den ti l EU. Eller også så skal vi vinde sagen
og så skal de til EU og sige at den danske model er ulovlig i forhold til EU, hvilket vi tror skulle være rimeligt
urealistisk. Det er jo det Ryanair gerne vil det er måske der hvor der er nogen der bliver lidt forvi rret en gang
imellem.
11. Hvad mener FPU er minimumskravene for en god arbejdsplads? Hvor går grænsen?
Det er jo svært at sige for vi laver jo ikke en konservativ stupid aftale for alle piloter i Danmark eller for alle
stewardesser i Danmark. Vi laver en aftale pr flyselskab sådan så aftalen passer til de behov som
medarbejderne har i de enkelte flyselskaber og så hvis virksomheden også har et behov i forhold til at finde
produktionsplads og forskellige flyvere og så videre, så det kommer meget an på arbejdspladsen for os er det
bare vigtigt at man kan få en løn som man kan leve af og som er anstændig og som giver en eller anden form
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
for tryghed. Altså vi forlanger ikke luksusgoder den tid er forbi det ved vi også godt vi skal bare have
anstændige forhold.
12. Hvad mener Du at medarbejderne i Ryanair skal gøre for at forbedre deres arbejdsvilkår? Er der noget
andet de kan gøre udover at klage?
De skal jo selvfølgelig organisere sig i en fagforening og på den måde stå stærkere overfor deres arbejdsgiver ,
som i det her tilfælde selvfølgelig er Ryanair. Problemet er jo bare at de er pisse bange.
13. Hvad mener Du, at konsekvenserne for Danmark er i denne sag? altså fremtidigt
Ja altså der er ikke konsekvenser for Danmark som sådan, men man kan sige at det her det handler jo meget
om at arbejdsretten, som skal give os ret i at det selvfølgelig er et dansk anliggende og dermed skal behandles i
Danmark og dermed selvfølgelig har konflikts-ret på området så vi har andre områder og arbejdsstyrken har jo
ret til lockout osv. hvis man ikke hvad skal man sige imødekommer det så bliver det jo svært fremadrettet og
overhoved som helst at lave noget i den retning i Danmark og det kan jo have konsekvenser for om den danske
model overhovedet kan overleve i et globaliseret EU samfund.
III: Timeline
1985 – It is founded by the Ryan family.
1986 – It gets permission to operate from Dublin to London Luton and challenges both British Airways and Aer
Lingus who cut down on their ticket prices in response. The fare was 99pounds and was less than half price of
the other two airlines’ fares. Ryanair carried 82,000 passengers in its first year.
1987 – It acquires its first jet aircraft by renting it from the Romanian state airline Tarom. The arrival of the
aircrafts increased its network with 15 routes from Dublin to Liverpol, Manchester, Glasgow and Cardiff and
opened up new routes from Luton to Cork, Shannon, Galway, Waterford and Knock in the West of Ireland.
Ryanair had in total 322,000 passengers in its second year.
1988 – It rented another three jets and had 6 in total from Tarom and another brand new aircraft from GPA to
service the smaller Irish regional airports. It launched 2 new routes from Dublin to Brussels from Monday to
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Friday and once per week to Munich. Ryanair launched a business class and created a Frequent Flyer Club. It
had 592,000 passengers this year. Ryanair it was on the verge of going bankrupt.
1989 – It leased another two aircrafts in order to replace the other small ones. The business class service was
not proved successful and therefore dismissed and the Frequent Flyer Club was closed. Ryanair carried 644,000
passengers. Aer Lingus was ordered away from Stansted and would leave the routes from Dublin to both
Liverpool and Munich to Ryanair in three years. In return, Ryanair had to stay away from the route Manchester
to Paris and leave it to Aer Lingus. The decision was implemented quickly even though there was several
political fights. Both Aer Lingus and politicians about the decision that was perceived as a national
sabotage. (Hall and Kongskov, 2015)
1990 – In its first three years it experienced a rapid growth and intense price competition with British Airways
and Aer Lings. It went through a substantial restructuring. It copied the Southwest Airlines’ low fares model
and the airline was re-launched as Europe’s first low fares airline. It reduced its fares from 99pounds to
59pounds and had a total of 745,000 passengers this year.
1991 – The passenger traffic collapsed due to the Gulf War. The fares were lowered and three aircrafts were
returned back to their owners. Some of the regional routes were retracted. The traffic and employment
numbers fell but were still able to make a profit for the first time which was a earning of 293,000pounds for the
year. It had 651,000 passengers.
1992 – It continues to restructure and cutting routes from 19 to 6 routes. It lowered fares so it still got a traffic
growth and had 945,000 passengers. And in August it carried over 100,000 passengers in jus t one month for
the first time in its history.
1993 – Ryanair got a warning from the Irish Government when it launched its new routes with daily flights from
Dublin to Birmingham and that would not make Aer Lingus happy. It acquired 4 ex -British Airways aircraft and
started replacing its previous ones which were scheduled for redelivery or retirement in 1994. Due to
continuous growth it carried 1,120,000 passengers.
1994 and 1995 – Replacement of aircraft in 1994 and in 1995 Ryanair overtook Aer Lingus and British Airways
titles and became the largest passenger airline on the biggest international scheduled route in Europe, Dublin London route. It also became the largest Irish airline on every route they operated in from Dublin. It bought 4
Page 16 of 121
Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
more jets from Transavia and had a total of 11 aircrafts. It carried 2,260,000 passengers in total throughout
1995.
1996 – Its growth continued with the addition new routes and bought 8 more aircrafts that was operated by
Lufthansa. The European Union completes the Open Skies deregulation of the airline business and thereby
enabled airlines to compete freely throughout Europe.
1997 – It launched its first routes after the open skies regulation was introduced, to Stockholm, Skavsta,
Oslo Torp, Paris Beauvais and Brussels Charleroi. It became a successful public company. Ryanair got on the
stock market after the first day Ryanair's employees earned over 100m in shares. In December, the UK Civil
Aviation Authority published punctuality statistics for the Dublin-London route. Furthermore, it was confirmed
that Ryanair was the most on-time airline on the route. It had a total of 3,730,000. The Irish labor union SIPTU
demanded higher salaries and working conditions for Ryanair’s workers in Dublin. However, Ryanair claimed
that some of its workers had threatened their passengers and employees and should therefor not get higher
salaries. (http://www.fagbladet3f.dk/temaer/ryanair/d89b1322b3114ca9be8756b7db54c459-20141106-seryanairs-mange-skandaler - Last accessed 27.05.2015)
Dublin -London
On-Times
Ryanair
76.1%
Aer Lingus
75.7%
British Midland
66.0%
British Airways
61.0%
1998 and 1999– continues to open up new routes in Europe. Ryanair was voted as Airline of the Year and
the Best Managed National Airline in the world by International Aviation Week Magazine. It got new aircraft
and offered lower airfares. It had its first route to Aarhus in Denmark. It lowered fares down to 19.99 on the
Dublin-London route and has carried over 5million passengers in 1999.
Page 17 of 121
Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
2000 – Launched Europe’s largest booking website. It added 8 more aircrafts and becomes the first to sponsor
the Skynews Weather reports and as a result of that Ryan air started to become known by most Europeans. It
now carried over 7 million passengers.
2001 – It selected its first continental European base at Brussels Charleroi Airport with 18 crafts in total. In
August it carried more than 1million passengers in one month, which was a record for the company. After 9/11,
there was a downturn in the traffic and caused an increase in oil prices. The British Pilot labor union BALPA
asked for a recognition by Ryanair as a representative of the British pilots. Ryanair launched a secret ballot
among the pilots and the poll showed that 80% of the pilots would not let BALPA represent them. According to
BALPA,
Ryanair’s
pilots
were
told
to
vote
no
if
they
did
not
want
to
be
fired. (http://www.fagbladet3f.dk/temaer/ryanair/d89b1322b3114ca9be8756b7db54c459-20141106-seryanairs-mange-skandaler - Last accessed 27.05.2015)
2002 – It selected Frankfurt Hahn as its second Continental European base. With the inclusion of its new routes
it brought an end to the high fares of Lufthansa. Ryanair became number 1 in Europe of customer service. It
now had 15,736,936 passengers in total.
2003 – Opens up two new continental European bases from Milan Bergamo and Stockholm Skavsta. In total it
had 73 new routes and it carried 2million passengers in one month in July which was a new record for the
company.
2004 and 2005 – Named the most popular airline on Google due to it being the most searched travel website in
Europe. Additionally, it expanded by launching new bases and adding more aircrafts. It had the youngest
aircrafts in the world with an average aircraft age of just two years. Furthermore, It beats EasyJet on
punctuality additionally it carried more passengers in August than British Airways and got the title 'the World’s
favorite Airline' and had 34,768,813 passengers. However, in 2004, Ryaniar offered its Irish pilots that they
could be trained in new aircrafts if they, for a period of 5 years did not try to get their labor union IALPA to
enter into an agreement with Ryanair. If they broke this agreement every pilot had to reimburse the cost of the
training they had gotten which meant that each pilot would have to pay 120,000 kroner each. Another
controversy that Ryanair was involved in was at 3rd February, where the EU commission assessed that it was
illegal when Ryanair in 2001 and 2003 got millions of state aid for using Charleroi airport in Belgium. In 2005,
Ryanair announced that their employees would get a wage increase of 3% but the agreement would be
Page 18 of 121
Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
negotiated individually with each employee and the ones who wanted their labor unions to interfere were not
allowed to get a wage increase. Additionally, Ryanair’s employees were banned from charging their private
phones
at
work. (http://www.fagbladet3f.dk/temaer/ryanair/d89b1322b3114ca9be8756b7db54c459-
20141106-se-ryanairs-mange-skandaler - Last accessed 27.05.2015)
2006 – Becomes the world’s first airline to carry more than 4million international passengers in one months.
Below is the growth in passenger in millions:
2007 to 2010 – Ryan air expands further with the addition of around 90 new aircrafts, the opening of around
223 new routes and 15 new bases. which also led it to create 1400 new jobs. Ryanair carried almost 10,000
passengers per employee which is ten times higher than its principal competitors. Its profits rose 200%. Many
of the competitors announced losses or cutbacks and even more got bankrupts due to the global recession . It
had in the end of 2010 72,062,659 passengers. Additionally, Ryanair also refused in 2007 to cooperate with
labor unions. Ryanair itself appointed which employees who should to represent their colleagues in
negotiations about wages and working conditions and not the employees themselves. The Irish labor l aw did
not take the agreements with these representatives as collective bargaining but the Irish Supreme Court had
decided in 1997 that the agreements made were valid. In 2010, the director of Ryanair
Michael O’leary proposed to take away the second pilot in the aircrafts. The alternative was that if the pilot
got a heart attack the attendants would instead take over. It was never implemented but met lots of criticism
from pilots.
(http://www.fagbladet3f.dk/temaer/ryanair/d89b1322b3114ca9be8756b7db54c459-20141106-se-ryanairsmange-skandaler - Last accessed 27.05.2015)
The average employment numbers in Ryanair rise by 21% to 6,369. Within that number 1,526 people are
promoted. We launch our second Cabin Crew Charity Calendar (2009) with the 100,000 going to the homeless
charity 'The Dublin Simon Community'.
2011 and 2012 – The average fare was now 48 and Ryanair continued expanding and getting more aircrafts.
Despite the global recession it carried 79,325,820 passengers. However, on the 9th January 2011, Ryanair closed
its base located in Marseille, France this was because the French authorities sued them for hiring 200
employees under cheap, Irish contracts. Which resulted in Ryanair having to pay a fee of 60 million kroners,
since it was proved that 120 employees was employed on Irish contract and therefor had not been given
Page 19 of 121
Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
enough in wages. Furthermore, Ryanair was also sued by the Belgian labor Union, CNE, since the CNE meant
that Ryanair did not follow Belgian, this started out with the Union criticizing that employees had to pay their
own uniform which cost them 200 kroner a month In 2012 a lot of cases occurred where former workers from
Ryanair starts speak about their working conditions and thereby informing people about this. For
instance, Alessandra Cocca got a job at Ryanair in Norway. She stated that she got 10.000Dkk monthly and had
to pay a fee of 1,500kr in her first 15months and did not receive salary under sickness neither for working
overtime and did not have a fixed working schedule which meant that she could be asked to work at any
given time. furthermore, if she wanted to quit her job she would have to pay 1,500kr for the administration.
Also, the flight attendants only got paid for the time that the plane was in the air even though the staff also had
many tasks while the plane was on the ground. Additionally, the contract forbade her to disclose any
information about her work to the press. In the beginning of July, Ryanair came up with the idea that
passengers should stand up during the flight this proposal was however rejected by the aviation authorities.
Ryan air was also criticized internally, since the British Channel 4, had a documentary with pilots from Ryanair
that were criticizing their airline where they among other things mentioned their concern for the passengers
security and safety and feared to tell their bosses about that. One of the pilots was l ater fired. In December
2012 the Scandinavian airline SAS required a tax-check of for instance Ryanair who hire their pilots as false selfemployed in Ireland.
(http://www.fagbladet3f.dk/temaer/ryanair/d89b1322b3114ca9be8756b7db54c459-20141106-se-ryanairsmange-skandaler - Last accessed 27.05.2015)
2013-2015 – The average fare was of 46 and no fuel surcharges, despite another ste ep increase in fuel
costs. It opened 7 new bases and had 68 bases and over 1,600 routes. The passenger number was at
81,668,285. Ryanair announced, in the end of October, that it will open 3 routes from Copenhagen Airport in
March 2015 and follow up with another 10 the following year. The 12th of August in 2013, the independent
group, Ryanair Pilots Group conducted a survey among 1000 Ryanair pilots where 90% of the pilots responded
that Ryanair suppressed their ability to draw attention to problems with the flight. In terms of Ryanair and
Denmark, there came The 25th of July a new agreement between Ireland and Denmark, which was about the
taxes and which stated that Ryanair employees in Denmark also has to pay taxes in Denmark. Denmark was
inspired by France’s reaction and the decision from Marseille gave hope to the Danish trade unions that they
too can succeed in the Labor Court.
Page 20 of 121
Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
On the 20th of February, two of the management representatives of Ryanair, one of them being David O’Brien
and the airline’s lawyer had a meeting in Denmark with LO’s lawyer, Peter Nisbeth, the Avion industry Staff
Union’s vise chairman Anders Mark Jensen and the Service Federation’s chairman John Dybart. It was a
meeting about making agreements with the Danish labor unions. Even though Ryanair said yes to a meeting
with representatives from Danish trade- unions, which is rare, they did not come to any agreements during the
meeting. Ryanair did not even read the agreements paper which was given to them during the meeting but was
thrown away by O’Brien as soon as it was given to them. Nor did they take it back with them to Ryanair’s
Headquarter in Dublin to read it through as that was the point with the meeting. (Hall and Kongskov, 2015)
IV: Survey data analysis:
Age
243
74
8
26
15-19
6
20-29
20
30-39
%
4
12
40-49
6
21
50-59
2
7
60-69
1
0
70<
Number of participants
Page 21 of 121
Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Occupation
235
71
67
20
13
4
%
3
10
5
2
Number of participants
Income before tax
159
95
48
29
29
9
5
%
17
4
13
2
7
3
10
Number of participants
Page 22 of 121
Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Level of education
137
111
42
5
MUNICIPAL
PRIMARY AND
LOWER
SECONDARY
SCHOOL
35
34
18
5
UPPER
SECONDARY
15
VOCATIONAL
EDUCATION
%
4
14
11
SHORT FURTHER MEDIUM LENGTH LONG FURTHER
EDUCATION
FURTHER
EDUCATION
EDUCATION
Number of participants
In which connection have you flown
1%
1%
15%
Work related
Private
Both work related and private
Have never flown
83%
Page 23 of 121
Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
One flight is from destination A to B minus
stopovers. How many times have you flown
within the last 3 years (work related)?
25
13
25
13
10
8
4
1
2
3
5 4
4
2 21 21 21
5
6
7
8
4
2
9
%
8
6
3 2
1 00 00 00 00 21 00 00 21
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
4
20<
Number of participants
Page 24 of 121
Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Which things do you priorities the most on your journey
(work related)?
70
62
60
46
50
37
40
30
17
20
21
13
10
12
4
4
8
6
Salg
0
The respondents answers in ‘other’:

Procurement agreement

My travel agent makes the decision

I do not have any influence on this. Others book my flights
Page 25 of 121
Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
How long are your flights? (Work related)
37%
Short routes
Medium-length and long routes
57%
Both of the lengths
6%
Page 26 of 121
Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
What is your primary purpose of travel as a
private person
3%
15%
Experiences/Vacation
Visiting family/friends
Other
82%
The respondents’ answers in ‘other’:

Both experiences/vacation and visiting family/friends (6 respondents)

Hospital visit

Auditions

Football

Education
Page 27 of 121
Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
One flight is from destination A to B minus
stopovers. How many times have you flown
within the last 3 years (Private)?
41
38
30
25
22
21
1
9
2
20
16
13
8
24
21
3
12
7
6
5
4
5
12
6
7
6
4
8
9
%
12
7
1
10
3
11
8
6
12
12
13
4
14
3
2
1
15
16
6
12 12 12
17
18
19
4
20<
Number of participants
How long are your flights? (Private)
38%
47%
Short routes
Medium-length and long routes
Both of the lengths
15%
Page 28 of 121
Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Which things do you priorities the most on your
journey (Private short routes)?
90
84
80
70
59
60
50
40
33
30
24
20
13
10
16
3
6
10
Salg
1
1
0
The respondents’ answers in ‘other’:



Free bar in alcohol
Wi-Fi
Others have booked my flight
Page 29 of 121
Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
What do you want to pay for when buying
you flight ticket? (Short routes)
1%
I want the cheapest ticket. Nothing
else matters
10%
30%
A cheap ticket that is consistent
with the demands that I have for
the airline company
The price matters but it is more
important that the service is good
and my journey is comfortable.
The price does not matter. I am
willing to pay for the best service
and comfort on my journey.
59%
Does the reputation of the airline company
affect your choice? (Short routes)
7%
16%
Yes always
22%
To some extent
To a lesser extent
No not at all
55%
Page 30 of 121
Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Which things do you priorities the most on your
journey (Private medium and longer routes)?
90
82
80
70
59
60
47
50
40
30
19
20
13
10
14
14
5
10
2
3
Salg
0
The respondents’ answers to ‘other’:





Their communication
Better call Saul is even worse
That there is enough time during the transition so you are able to catch the next flight without stress.
Their economy – in regards to bankruptcy
Free bar in alcohol
Page 31 of 121
Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
What do you want to pay for when buying
you flight ticket? (Medium and longer routes)
2%
I want the cheapest ticket. Nothing
else matters
20%
22%
A cheap ticket that is consistent
with the demands that I have for
the airline company
The price matters but it is more
important that the service is good
and my journey is comfortable.
The price does not matter. I am
willing to pay for the best service
and comfort on my journey.
56%
Does the reputation of the airline company
affect your choice? (Medium and longer
routes)
7%
13%
Yes always
25%
To some extent
To a lesser extent
No not at all
55%
Page 32 of 121
Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Are you a conscious consumer
2%
12%
13%
No
To a lesser extent
22%
To some extent
To a high extent
I do not know
51%
To what extent do you as a consumer
believe/feel that you are responsible in order
to ensure that a company is not making use
of child labor or social dumping
0% 4%
16%
Not at all
To a lesser extent
44%
To some extent
To a high extent
36%
I do not know
Page 33 of 121
Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Which of the following things do you think are
the most important for the aircraft company to
take care of.
They should avoid social dumping
5%
They should have proper working
conditions for their employees
47%
38%
They should be environmentally
conscious
They should make sure that there is
proper conditions during the flight,
including flight security
10%
When is it suitable for the labor union to
intervene in a companys working condition
56
60
51
50
40
32
30
20
10
1
0
3
When is it suitable for the labor
union to intervene in a companys
working condition
Page 34 of 121
Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
The respondents’ answers to ‘other’:






Do not know (6 respondents)
It depends on the situation
When there is no settlement or there is a breach of the settlement.
As soon as the settlement is breached. It does matter whether the employees are member of the labor
union or not
If they cannot handle the situation on their own (employees)(the government)
When there is a breach of the settlement or if there is social dumping.
Have you ever flown with Ryanair
9%
29%
Yes
No
I do not know
62%
If you got the opportunity to travel with
Ryanair (again) would you then do it?
24%
Yes
45%
No
Maybe
31%
Page 35 of 121
Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Ryanair has been criticised for not having
good working conditions. After haven been
informed about this, woud you book a ticket
from Ryanair?
11%
12%
Yes, without a doubt
Only if they change the conditions
22%
27%
It may be
No
I do not know
28%
How big an influence do you believe that the consumers
have on Ryanairs success on the global market? On a scale
from 1 to 10, where 1 indicates that the consumers have
no influence and 10 indicates that they have a great
influence.
Influence
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
1 to 10
Page 36 of 121
Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
What respondents know
about Ryanair
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Number of
respondents
What respondents know about
Ryanair
Number of
respondents
Bad working conditions
157
6
Cheap/Cheap tickets
Do not know anything about
Ryanair
What I have heard for the media
Ryanair is not living up to
Danish standards
33
84
Ryanair contributes to social
dumping
Ryanair has cheap labor
Ryanair has foreign workers
18
7
Know enough about Ryanair
Ryanair is driving down the
prices on flight tickets
1
2
Ryanair is a low-price company
30
2
Do not know much according to
themselves
39
Bad service/comfort
Flying with them was an okay
experience
13
8
Ryanair is putting a pressure on
other airline companies
It is the employees own
responsibility, that they work for
Ryanair
The CEO has a good time
Ryanair is contributing negatively
to the environment
There has been many strikes
against Ryanair
Ryanair is a liberal company
which is following the market
forces and focusing on profit
maximizing
Ryanair has hidden charged
1
There is conflicts between
Ryanair’s CEO and its employees
Ryanair will not acknowledge the
Danish law/labor market model
The employees are afraid of
speaking about the company in
public/media
Previously
employees
are
criticizing Ryanair
3
Ryanair cheats their employees
Ryanair has low prices which are
affecting
the service/comfort
negatively
1
3
Ryanair is a immoral company
7
Ryanair has a lack of settlements
16
Ryanair has low prices on the
expense of the employees’
working conditions
Ryanair has security issues
11
Ryanair has a bad reputation
10
7
The labor Unions and Ryanair
has
a
strained
relationship/conflicting
The
respondents are well
informed
according
to
themselves
Ryanair cheats in its taxes
Ryanair is suing everybody
6
Ryanair is very complicated
1
2
2
1
1
1
2
1
1
2
2
4
2
1
Page 37 of 121
Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Working conditions
Number of respondents
91
43
4
1
4
2
2
8
Bad
The
No salary
Are not Have to pay Have to pay
The
Have bad
working employees
when
paid during their own their own employees working
conditions
have a
absent
maternity uniforms
ID card have a bad
hours
in overall low/bad owing to
leave
contract.
salary
salary.
1
1
Have bad
The
social
employees
security have to pay
when they
quit the
job, which
is a part of
their
contract
In overall all respondents that talked about working conditions was 157, however 66 of the respondents d id
mention some specific working conditions that they found problematic
V: Transcription of interview with former Ryanair employee Alessandra Cocca.
Conducted 19th of April 2015 in Falconer Salen, Frederiksberg.
Interviewer I: Would you like to tell us a little bit about your history at Ryanair, starting with your motivation
for applying to this company.
Alessandra: I applied because it is my dream work to be a flight attendant. I applied because there was no info
on the Ryanair conditions and the truth behind the bribes, you know. The bribe that they were publicized,
advertised, to take people in the trap. I applied, I passed all the assessments, and sometimes it was not so easy
Page 38 of 121
Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
to understand this Irish, and the only thing I knew, that the course were pai d. So I had to pay the course, but I
told that; “okay, I paid the course, but this course I could be used it for other airlines too?” and they said “no” It just garbage because it were just for Ryanair. So you pay in the total of 3000, more or less 3000 for – and
you don’t have the really professional course certificate. So it was not worth for other airlines.
Interviewer I: But you were told that is was useful for others {airlines} or you just thought that?
Alessandra: No, it was just a question comment. You passed the very stressing e xams, they were stressing
because you had a very short time for the big things to know, and afterwards they give you the contract. So
you can understand that the contract say, just up towards when you pay a big part of the course and passed all
these procedures test, of course.
So afterwards, that you do. The only thing that people say is; okay we do like a period, like I would take it and
then afterwards I would try with other companies, because I would have in my CV at least this experience that
is anyway something.
But the thing is after seven months, they had to clean places for others that made the course and paid, so they
come in other people, because the business they did is that too.
Interviewer I: Okay, so they continued to requite even though the y do not need to?
Alessandra: Yes it is a meat marked
Interviewer I: That is smart…
Alessandra: Yeah it is smart, because they use this kind of business; they tie people in the trap, thinking to work
in the civilization that is in a dream, of a lot of people, like the dream work. But they know a lot of conditions,
so the dream work is not a dream work; it is like a trap actually, that it was it is started to became. And after
seven month it is starting the very bad things like pressure, like treating, like you are going to be reported for
everything, you know.
Interviewer I: Was that just coming out of nothing or because you started to raise your voice?
Alessandra: No it was just, or that they had decided that you had to go out. So they try to, or make you quit or
to fire you, in the way they quit. And you know, if you are the base supervisor, they all [argh] and the base
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
supervisor say to the [argh] have been responsible to report you for everything, and they would find
something, they would find something. And I know that people were pressed to report people, you know.
Because of, this cleared after six months, like in after six months or seven months, they paid the course. They,
the cabin responsible, are forced to report people to give material to being fired. They have to collect the most
things to give a reason to be fired.
Interviewer I: Just out of curiosity, it says that you have a one year [interrupted]
Alessandra: 10 months
Interviewer I: 10 months requiting or trial period. Is your contract going to change after that period?
Alessandra: No the contract does not chance, but the attitude of people to {towards} me. Because they had to
make clear places for other people coming, as if there was supposed to come 30 persons, they were desperate
to get rid of other people.
Interviewer I: But it could also just have been something in the company that changed, so they needed to be
more people or something like that. That could have done that as well?
Alessandra: Yeah, because after one year, the probation pe riod, you have more rights. Before the one year
they can fire you for no reason, anywhere and anytime with immediately resolution of the working relation,
and they give you just one of payment extra, but one week of payment in Ryan, I cannot understand it, it is not
{much}.
Interviewer I: If you can explain a little bit about the reason for you being fired, there was some kind of
controversy?
Alessandra: Yes, there was mainly a lack of communication with the person there were responsible for the
cabin that hated me, hated me for sure. But hated me because I was saying to her, the real things, she was
rude with the employees and the customers too. Once I was doing [hmm], she was in my shift as well, I met her
always, it was like nightmare. We were doing the bar service and there was a guy there was waiting for pass to
take a seat, because he was in the toilet. She turned back and said “do you think that waiting so sticky at me is
going to make you faster seated at your place?” This person, and this are rumors because I cannot be said
officially, colleagues told me that she was taking pills for depression; you know these up and down breaks. I
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
think that if you have a problem, a social problem, you cannot work with people. I am sorry because that she
was like this; it was horrible like she was treading people.
Interviewer I: So there was more than just one problem.
Alessandra: yes yes, so there was communication lack, security lack, and security issue in the way that, without
communication, not for just only a limited period but for all the flight long, this is a problem because in case we
have problems, we could not react like a team.
Interviewer I: Do you think that you would have quit the job eventually, if you have not been fired?
Alessandra: I think so, I think so because the things were not so easy to challenge, absolutely. It is not how I use
to tread customers, not how I use to tread colleagues. I was very gentle and in the way they were rude with
me, I did not feel good. And you could not have even have it good outside life, because you did not have any
money, so you could not even share you things too much outside, because you have no money to travel, you
have no money to do something else, so your life would be like your job.
Interviewer I: I think we came in on something like this, but did you know anything about Ryanair before
your started working there?
Alessandra: No, there was no info on them, because they try to avoid the spreading of accusing them, because
otherwise they said they try to mean us people saying that would be law pursuit against, if they are being
caught to talk about Ryanair.
Interviewer I: How were the working conditions when you worked for them?
Alessandra: You had not much time to clean and to check the airplane, very pressured into trying to make
people sit the fastest you can, and no time, sometime, to go to the toilet, no time to eat. We had some, and a
few time to eat and much time for us. So, it depended on the flight. If it was a very short flight, you could not
even go to the toilet.
Interviewer I: But how about then you were on standby, did you have flights there was [interrupted]
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Alessandra: No, when I was on standby, normal standby, I had to stay home. Know that I could not move from
home and I had to have my cellphone always free from calls. Because if they called me and they found it busy
or not attended, they should give me a ‘no show’. That means that I refused to work.
Interviewer II: So you had one chance?
Alessandra: Yeah, one opportunity. [Pause] And they gave me a one ‘no show’ not because I was not there, but
because I was totally blocked (in the nose). It was an early shift, and I did not, I have no chance to call the call
control before the two hours, that is the last time you can call them to say that you are sick . Because it was an
early shift, at 03:30 I woke up to go, and I wake up like this, totally blocked. I went to the crew room, the pilots
told me and said “you are not fit to fly”, and advised me to call the call control the moment I was in the crew
room. They said me “okay, I give you a ‘no show’”, “no that is not a ‘no show’ I am here in the crew room and I
am not ‘fit to fly’, the pilots says that I am not ‘fit to fly’”, “I do not care, I do not care, the rules are like this and
you will have a ‘no show’”. So the pilot talked with this guy, and they did fight for that, because it was not my
fault. They were like forcing against my health condition to fly, and for sure I should lose my temper, for sure.
Because in the condition I was, it was totally blocked. So the pilot made in the report, that this guy gave me a
‘no show’ against his advice to not fly, and they have everything written. So it is something that they try to
force me against my health condition to fly, and so to have worse consequence.
Interviewer II: So what happens when you get a ‘no show’?
Alessandra: It was just in my CV, Ryanair CV
Interviewer II: So like a remark?
Alessandra: Yeah
Interviewer I: If you had 5 or 10 ‘no shows’ would there be consequences for that?
Alessandra: You are going to be fired absolutely, yep.
Interviewer I: If you had one ‘no show’ would you be fired for that or should there be more reasons?
Alessandra: If you are in the period that you have to be fired, you are going to be fired [laughing]. They take,
you know, they try to collect the more chance to give the reason to be fired, you know.
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Interviewer I: So there is no mercy regarding to that?
Alessandra: It is not just mercy; try to find the reason to get rid of you. It is different, it is a very bad, bad, bad
thing – it is evil [voice shaking].
Interviewer I: It does not sound like the most pleasant place to be. Can you explain a little about the
organizational structure within Ryanair?
Alessandra: What I can say about the base, is that there is a base supervisor that is the king in the moment,
that he decide on the life and dead of the people there. If you are on a black list, you are done. Actually this is
the king, because the reports come to him, if he do not want to send them (forward), he will not send them. If
he wants to get rid of you, it is the first thing he is doing immediately then these come, you know.
Interviewer I: So you have the base supervisor, and then you have?
Alessandra: Deputy, that is the servant of the base supervisor, yeah. And then you have like some pushers, that
are the cabin responsible , there are like maybe 15, depends on the shift, and then all these other numbers, like
me.
Interviewer II: Do you know how they end in the role as base supervisors? Have they started as a crew like you
and then just worked [interrupted]
Alessandra: Yeah, he is a crew like me; I mean he is a cabin responsible and he his being the base supervisor. So
he flies but he has even the base supervisor duty.
Interviewer I: So you earn you way up to become base supervisor.
Alessandra: You try, at least to survive at first, and then to take contract as fast and then to have a cabin
responsible contract. These are the steps.
Interviewer I: How is the internal communication within Ryanair, both between leaders and employees, but
also between the employees?
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Alessandra: Normally we have like an intranet, where we have all procedures changing and who is handling all
the shifts. And yes, the base supervisor gives some information, but not much at least, just practical, not
everything else coming from the company.
Interviewer I: Would that be on a meeting or through the intranet?
Alessandra: We did some meetings but just about service.
Interviewer I: And how between the employees?
Alessandra: One against the other. Because the psychological treatment from the company is starting from
that, you make people united or make people one against the other, you are not going to have problems,
because they will not be against you, they are ready, psychologically, to manage this kind of condition. So, the
best way for a company like Ryanair, like very low company, I mean it is not just low price but very low
vibration company, to control the minds.
Interviewer I: That also leads to, if there was any code of conduct when you were working as flight crew?
Alessandra: Code of conduct, you mean procedures?
Interviewer I: Yeah
Alessandra: We have a lot of procedures you had to know by heart.
Interviewer I: Also, did you need to have any specific behavior in front of customers?
Alessandra: No, customers have to follow the rules, stop. They are not human beings; they are just customers
[laughing] or better passengers. People you are going to have for one hour, and then you have to try to make
them leave as soon as possible, just that.
Interviewer I: So there was nowhere in the code of conduct that you needed to be service minded or anything
like that?
Alessandra: Actually if I tried to have a nice relationship to passengers, I was being reported to be too much,
“she is nice with passengers, sometimes too much”, this is what they say.
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Interviewer I: So they actually do not like [interrupted]
Alessandra: You do not have to loose time with passengers, just numbers, numbers, numbers. This is in a kind
of way very British behaving that is why I do not like them, I am so sorry to say. Because they are the typically
British sometimes way of acting in society, not people but in the job places.
Interviewer I: It is also an American thing as well, if you say [interrupted]
Alessandra: maybe, but Americans little bit less than British, I mean. British sometimes says “ohh, we are
polite”, no you are just masquerade, you are rude masqueraded with politeness – that is different. If you say if
you kill me and you say “I am sorry I killed you” *said with exaggerated voice], I do not care if you sad sorry I
killed you, you killed me [laughing].
Interviewer I: Also backstage, was there any code of conduct there, any procedures/ways that you needed to
behave in front of each other?
Alessandra: No, there was not ethics with passengers; you have just to be quick and effective. It does not
matter how rude, that is why there were a lot of rude people.
Interviewer I: You almost answered the next questions, has there any organizational culture or social
commitments for the employees within Ryanair?
Alessandra: Yeah, the organization culture is Michael O’Leary spy, mirrored. In fact that is why he removed his
face as front man, because he said even maybe I modeled the company as I think. So he is a shit person so he
put the company like a shitty.
Interviewer I: So it is differently coming from the leaders?
Alessandra: Absolutely. It was you know, it was a clone of him
Interviewer I: Do you think that people are like that from the beginning or do you think that people are forme d
into that kind of role?
Alessandra: They [hmm] I think was. Because if you are not [hmm] set like this, maybe you take more time to
be like this, but for sure, the company change you in the long term, mentally and behavior. I saw people there
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
were very gentle normally became like witches. [Pause] This is the problem, but they are very mental, they
made for sure, a lot of studies on how to control human being. So with a fear of politics, they put one -againstthe-other-politic, and to [argh] if you give people that are in a bad condition job, and they come from the
southern Italy, southern Europe that were in a crisis, okay. They feel like they have no other chances, so they
try to do the best to not complain, because at least they have a job. So they joke on that and this is very awful,
it is very evil, because you take advances of the conditions of human people. And this is totally not just ethics,
this is just evil. It is something - I do not know how to describe it.
Interviewer I: Do you think that all employees in the company are treaded the same way?
Alessandra: It depends, if you are committed with the base supervisors, and you have some, you know, have
some people that have power, maybe you do not feel it, because you have a lot of positive feedback. Y ou
know, they help you, they treat you, because for sure, but if you are not in the good book of the power men,
you are {not}.
Interviewer I: You already answered this, but do you believe that Ryanair without any hesitations would fire
people that raises their voice, or challenges them?
Alessandra: Now that they tried to do all this, you mean?
Interviewer I: Yeah, I just mean like if you were coming with suggestions to do procedures better, or something
like that. It could be any kind of thing.
Alessandra: With changement you mean. We had time changement for customers, e.g. silence flight and less in
the handbag and some other facilities. So something is changed, but just for politics reasons, not just because
they understood that they were a shit company. The only thing that we can know that they can change,
something, especially for employees, is that the unions and politics make some new rules, that they will be
forced to observe, because otherwise they will continue keeping going like this, because they do not care. They
are not moved by human love, they are moved for money love, so they do not care about that. In that case it is
the union and politics job to make them forced to follow rules. Especially Scandinavian they are embracing, so
nice.
Interviewer I: But what about internally, if colleagues started to gather making some kind of organization
(groups) or wanted to do that?
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Alessandra: No way, that is why they are one against the other, so they do not unite themselves - job
organization, love organization, union, nothing. Actually they will fight the behavior to get involved in some
unions, you know.
Interviewer II: Did you feel that you had anyone in the company that you could complain to, in regards to the
conditions?
Alessandra: Everyone complains privately, but they have no courage, the brutalness to complain e.g. in the
medias. But I can understand, because Ryanair, they manage to sue you, in case you say something in the
media. So if you do not have unions to support you, it is a problem.
Interviewer II: But what about within Ryanair, in the organization, did you have like a [interrupted]
Alessandra: There is no organization. No one can be in the union.
Interviewer II: Okay, so you could not complain to anyone?
Alessandra: You can do it, but it is like a paper. You do not even know if it is going to reach the right person,
because it is the base supervisor that does that.
Interviewer I: Do you think that people still wants to work for the company, when considering its bad
reputation?
Alessandra: If they know something, no it is coming out a little bit, maybe not. But when I tried to get in, there
was no info on it that is why I even come out in the media and stuff, to make people know what it means to be
there.
Interviewer I: To kind of converse the conversation, do you have anything positive to say about the
company?
Alessandra: What I can see, that the idea to make low prices for people, that before could not afford to travel,
is a good idea. It seems even socialistic, but if you do that, after to make happy people and make other people
not happy, that means that it is just things that you do for your reasons. Because until you stay in the line of
ethics it is okay, but when you go down from ethics to get more profit and stuff, in that case no. It is the only
thing that should be a little bit positive, but the reason why they do it is not so positive. You know in the tales
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
(fairytales), even the evil has a little bit positive thing. Because for what they tried to do they always had to give
like a Trojan horse - a reason, you know. So they could say “We make people that cannot afford to move, we
move them for a very little price”, so people now they travel more. But actually that is not the reason, the
reason is another, they just not come across.
Interviewer I: It kind of makes you sad, when you tell all of these things
Alessandra: But they are smart, because they made psychological study of how to control people, a big mass of
people. You take people that have no money you tread them bad, because if you tread them bad, you make
them feel worthless, so they cannot even think that they need more. So it is a psychological system, very very
smart. It is how to control people- that is it.
Interviewer I: But when you are having your introduction period, are they behaving differently in that time
period?
Alessandra: They had to make the company appear very good. Actually in the assessment you mean, yep, it
seemed all good, all glam, all wow. But even they come a lot of people and we make a [..]. So it seemed even
okay, I did it, you know. So you had even these things, I did it from a lot of people that was not being taken. So
you had all these stuff, it seemed like a dream come true and then a little [hmm] if you take a frog, and you put
it in the water and you put the frog in very hot water, the frog takes the jump and get out. If you take the frog
and little by little you warm of the water, it is being cooked with it [not] even realizes that. So this is the
psychological way to work for them, they cook you without you realizing it.
Interviewer I: So do you think that Ryanair are recruiting a certain type of employees then, since you are saying
that in the assessment people are being taken away. Is that because they do not fit or they do not think that
they can fit into the profile of [interrupted].
Alessandra: yeah maybe.
Interviewer I: What can people do to prevent a company like Ryanair to expand?
Alessandra: Make rules and control them in ethics of the employment
Also as a private person
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Maybe they can avoid to travel with them, this is a way for example. Because they just understand one day lose
money that is the risk.
Interviewer I: What do you think that Ryanair’s future is going to look like?
Alessandra: I hope, like, a company that follows the rules. Maybe with less so low prices, a little bit more, but
they have to make people happy to work with them. Otherwise society is going to be hell, if the problem is
that, the social dumping is that, the ruining of society. So when people are going to be no more happy, a lot of
psychologists will maybe be happy. But not a good way to live a quality life, and it is actually coming
everywhere, every happy aisle it seems that they try to infiltrate it. Infiltrated evil is something to avoid and to
fight against!
VI: Price differences
To map out price differences between Ryanair and its competitors, a calculated flight is illustrated below. The
flight is for a single person travelling from Copenhagen Airport to Victoria Station in London on a round-trip
(from Tuesday June 16th to Saturday June 20th 2015). The flight is to include:




20 kg of luggage
Seat reservations
Cancellation insurance
Transit from/to the airport
British
Airways
EasyJet
EasyJet
Norwegian
SAS
Ryanair
1420kr
523.09kr
413.09kr
625kr
1171kr
168kr
(750kr + 674kr)
(193kr + 330.09kr)
(173kr + 240.09kr)
(199kr + 426kr)
(399kr + 772kr)
(69kr + 99kr)
Arri vi ng airport
Hea throw
Ga twi ck
Luton
Ga twi ck
Hea throw
Luton
Tra ns port
from/to a irport
to Vi ctori a St.
124,83kr*
71,78kr**
114,43kr*
71,78kr**
124,83kr*
114,43kr
Ba ggage
Incl uded i n
pl a ne ti cket
312kr
270kr
290kr
180kr
574kr
95kr
85kr
180kr
Incl uded i n
pl a ne ti cket
198kr
(2 x 156kr)
(2 x 47.50kr)
(2 x 42.50kr)
(2 x 90kr)
(2 x 99kr)
(2 x 49kr)
90kr
145kr
Pl a ne ticket
Sea t reservation
Ca ncellation
i ns urence
Tra vel insurance
(2 x 90kr)
(150kr- pa yed if
needed)
148.50kr
148.50kr
(2 x 287kr)
98kr
160kr
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
(ticket refund only
in case of
Ryanair’s failure)
i ncl . Ticket
refund
Food a nd drinks
onboard
Yes
No
No
No
Yes
Credi t ca rd fee
Tota l price
No
(but only food on
flights longer than
90 minutes )
22.94 kr
1856,83kr
1108.37kr
1051.02kr
1146.78kr
1638,83kr
1137.37kr
(or 1106.78kr
with LowFare+)
*National Express **easyBus
The below table shows the same flights from Copenhagen airport to Victoria Station, Lon don, however this is a
very low-budgetary flight only included 20kg of luggage.
Pl a ne Ticket
Arri vi ng airport
Tra ns port
from/to a irport
to Vi ctori a St.
Ba ggage
British
Airways
EasyJet
EasyJet
Norwegian
SAS
Ryanair
1420kr
523.09 kr
413.09kr
625kr
1171kr
168kr
(750kr + 674kr)
(193kr + 330.09kr)
(173kr + 240.09)
(199kr + 426kr)
(399kr + 772kr)
(69kr + 99kr)
Hea throw
124,83kr*
Ga twi ck
71,78kr**
Luton
114,43kr*
Ga twi ck
71,78kr**
Hea throw
124,83kr*
Luton
114,43kr
Incl uded i n
pl a ne ti cket
270kr
290kr
180kr
Incl uded i n
pl a ne ti cket
574kr
(2 x 90kr)
Credi t ca rd fee
Tota l price
(2 x 287kr)
6.30kr
1544.83kr
864.87kr
817.52kr
876.78kr
1295.83kr
862.73kr
*National Express **easyBus
When looking at the two tables, the cheapest tickets for both travels are EasyJet’s flight to Luton, at 1051.02kr
and 817.52kr, respectively. This is in the all-included flight followed by Norwegian (if buying LowFare+),
EasyJet’s flight to Gatwick and then Ryanair with a price of 1137.37kr. In the higher end of the price range lays
SAS and British Airways flight, with 501.46kr and 719.46kr difference to Ryanair, respectively. In the low -budget
flight, EasyJet is followed by Ryanair at 862.73kr, and within an addition of 15kr, EasyJet’s flight to Gatwick and
Norwegian follows. Again, SAS and British Airways, has the highest prices at 1295.83kr and 1544.83kr, being
433.1kr and 682.1kr above the price of Ryanair, respectively. It should however be noted that, would one be
interested in flying without luggage, then Ryanair is the cheapest with a ticket price of 168kr plus the 114.43kr
for transport, with total of 282.43kr. Thus being 245.09kr cheaper than the second cheapest, EasyJet to Luton.
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
It is however important to remember, that the prices varies from flight to flight and to different destinations.
Thus, the prices given in this example may differ, and therefore also which company that is cheapest in the
specific case. The project will yet argue that, the example of flights will not vary a lot; having Ryanair a nd
EasyJet as the cheapest airline companies, followed by Norwegian, SAS and then British Airways.
VII: Ryanair’s job advertisement
Retrieved from:
Rya na ir Labs. Published by Ryanair Ltd.. Ava ilable at: http://corporate.ryanair.com/careers / - La s t a cces s ed d. 27.05.2015 (Internet)
Ca bi n Crew Recruitment. Published Rya nair Ltd.. Ava ilable at: http://corporate.rya nai r.com/ca reers /ca bi n -crew-recrui tment/ - La s t
a cces s ed d. 27.05.2015 (Internet)
RYANAIR WANTS YOU!!
Fantastic career opportunities in Aviation with Ryanair Are you unfulfilled in your current job? Do you
want a career that excites and challenges you?
Who we are:
Ryanair is Europe’s favourite airline, operating more than 1,600 daily flights fr om 73 bases, connecting
190 destinations in 30 countries and operating a fleet of more than 300 new Boeing 737 -800 aircraft.
Ryanair has recently announced firm orders for a further 280 new Boeing 737 aircraft, as well as
options for 100 more Boeing 737 MAX 200s, which will enable Ryanair to lower fares and grow traffic
from 100m this year to 160m p.a. in 2024. Ryanair currently has a team of more than 9,500 highly
skilled aviation professionals, and has an industry leading 30-year safety record.
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Who we want
From the cockpit and cabin to commercial, we want a team that is quick-thinking, fast-acting and
hard-working. We want talented people who love a challenge, like to get stuck in and who hate waffle.
You should work well with other people but able to work on your own initiative too. A bit of
enthusiasm goes a long way!
What you get:
We firmly believe in rewarding our people for their effort and we do our best to incentivise work
wherever we can so that the better you perform, the more you get paid. When you work here you'll
get a competitive salary, excellent benefits, and fantastic opportunities to move up within Ryanair if
you work hard and impress. Lots of companies promise the earth, but here we actually deliver:
rewarding work and great opportunities for real advancement. We don't operate seniority lists or any
other restrictions on your development? We give you the opportunity to prove yourself, and we like to
make sure that the cream rises to the top... With 175 Aircraft being delivered between 2014 a nd 2018
we have loads of promotional opportunities for our people. Of course, we ARE an airline and we offer
our people travel perks; if you are employed on a Ryanair contract, you can take advantage of
unlimited discounted standby flights on all of our routes.
How to Apply
Before you start, there are a few things we need from you. You must have a good level of English,
both written and spoken, an EU passport and a reasonable level of computer literacy. If you have all
of this, as well as the energy and drive to throw yourself into your job with enthusiasm, then check
out our current vacancies and apply now by sending your CV to the email address provided at the
bottom of the job description.
Please note that Ryanair is an equal opportunities employer. Applications for employment can
only be made through the channels detailed on this website. Applicants who canvass (by
phone, direct contact or through existing employees) will be disqualified. Please note that due
to the high volume of applications that we receive, unfortunately we will only be in contact
with you if you have been shortlisted for an interview. Thank you for your interest in working
with Ryanair. We hope to see you 'onboard' soon!
Ryanair's Recruitment Team
- See more at: http://corporate.ryanair.com/careers/#sthash.JVs94Dlt.dpuf
CABIN CREW RECRUITMENT
CABIN CREW CAREERS
Page 52 of 121
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
Are you bored of nine-to-five? Want something different? Want a career that will get you places? How
about a job that gives you wings?
Our Cabin Crew service providers are currently recruiting for exciting Cabin Crew positions operating
on Ryanair aircraft.
Ryanair is Europe’s favourite low fares airline, operating more than 1,600 daily flights (over 500,000
per year) from 69 bases, across 1,600 low fare routes, connecting 186 de stinations in 30 countries
and operating a fleet of 300 new Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Ryanair has recently announced firm
orders for a further 180 new Boeing aircraft, which will be delivered between 2014 and 2018.
Ryanair currently has a team of more than 9,500 highly skilled professionals, will carry 86 million
customers this year and has an outstanding 30-year safety record.
For information regarding open days throughout the UK and Europe please consult the following websites:
Crewlink
www.crewlink.ie
Requirements
You need to be:

Experienced in dealing with the public & comfortable in a selling role

Physically fit with a good attendance record in your current position

Hard working, flexible & willing to operate on a shift roster

Over 18 years of age

Between 5'2 (1.57m) and 6'2 (1.88m) in height with weight in proportion

Of normal vision (contact lenses acceptable)

Able to swim well

You must be in possession of a valid European Union passport and have the right to work in both the
UK and Ireland

Fluent in English (both written and spoken)

Prepared to live within one hour's travelling time of any Ryanair base


Ready to meet the challenge of dealing with people and demanding situations
Friendly and outgoing with a lively personality
What's on offer for full-time crews?

A fixed term flexible contract for 3 years with a Cabin Crew agency who are contracted to supply cabin
crew to Ryanair
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The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015

Competitive salary dependant on where you are based throughout our European network.

New Joiners' Allowance £1,000 /€1,200 over first 6 months

Great
promotional opportunities with the potential to join Ryanair and earn in excess of
£25,000/€30,000 gross per annum after just one year in most bases.

New friends, fun, amazing opportunities and real job satisfaction

Generous travel benefits from day one, giving you the opportunity to fly abroad on your days off.
Rome for lunch! Or Skiing in Austria!
What happens at the recruitment days?
When you arrive at we will ask you to fill out an application form. There will then be a presentation telling
you all about life as cabin crew and what you can expect from the job. There will usually be Cabin Crew
members present to answer any questions you may have and tell you what it is like flying on Ryanair
aircraft. After the presentations interviews will be conducted (group and/or individual). You can expect to
hear the outcome of your individual interview within a few days.
When will the training start?
Our cabin crew agencies are continually holding training courses throughout Europe.
What does the training involve?
The Boeing 737-800 Cabin Crew Initial Training Course is an intensive six week training course covering all
aspects of the job from passenger safety to customer services. With successful completion of this course
you will receive your wings and be qualified to work on board Ryanair aircraft.
As the training is conducted by a third party provider there is a fee - the cost can be deducted from your
salary during your first 12 months. Full details will be provided at the recruitment days.
Due to Ryanair's phenomenal growth to date and with the arrival of 74 new aircraft over the next 2 years,
there are ample positions available to recruit candidates from students who successfully complete the
training course.
Where will I be working?
We are principally recruiting for bases in the following countries

UK (London - Stansted, Liverpool, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds Bradford, Glasgow - Prestwick,
Edinburgh, East Midlands, London - Luton, Bristol and Bournemouth)

Ireland (Dublin, Cork and Shannon)

Spain (Madrid, Barcelona El Prat, Palma, Barcelona - Girona, Seville, Malaga, Valencia, Lanzarote, Gran
Canaria, Tenerife and Alicante)

Portugal (Faro and Porto)
Page 54 of 121
Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015

Germany (Frankfurt - Hahn, Bremen, Baden Baden and Dusseldorf Weeze)

Netherlands (Maastricht)

Belgium (Brussels - Charleroi)

Italy (Milan - Bergamo, Pisa - Florence and Rome - Ciampino, Trapani, Brindisi, Bari, Pescara, Bologna,
Caglari, Alghero)

Malta

Cyprus (Paphos)

Sweden (Stockholm - Skavsta)

Norway (Oslo - Rygge)

Lithuania (Kaunas)

Poland (Wroclaw)


Hungary (Budapest)
Denmark (Billund)
How much will I make?
After successfully completing the training course crew receives a payment for every flight taken as well as
sales bonus for onboard sales. You can typically expect to earn approximately £900-£1,100/€1,100-€1,400
per month after tax in your first year in most bases.
As a full time crew you will also receive a New Joiners Allowance which is £1,000/€1,200 over your first 6
months.
After 12 Months: an EXTRA £250/€325 annual allowance for uniforms, ID's and Medicals
After 6 months you may be eligible for a position directly employed with Ryanair and after 12 months you
may be eligible for promotion to a Customer Service Supervisor.
A Customer Service Supervisor promotion would involve:

Increased responsibility as you manage a team of three other Cabin Crew on each flight

Increased

£25,000/€30,000 gross per annum
Increased Staff Travel benefits (including discounted travel on other airlines)
pay
- Ryanair Supervisors based
in
the UK
& Ireland earn approximately earn
What is the job like?
The best people to answer this are the crew themselves and they will usually be available at each
recruitment day to chat with you. It is hard work but very rewarding, you will get to meet different people
every day and no two days will ever be the same.
- See more at: http://corporate.ryanair.com/careers/cabin-crew-recruitment/#sthash.yk51sLLJ.dpuf
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Bachelor Thesis
The Class between the Working Conditions within the National Airline Industry
Roskilde University
Spring 2015
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