RYANAIR (2)

One of the curiosities about the spat at Copenhagen Airport between Ryanair and the Danish trade unions is Billund. Ryanair has operated a base in Denmark at Billund Airport for three years, and to the satisfaction of both customers and the airport itself; yet, in line with its normal corporate policy, the company has never entered into a collective bargaining agreement with the unions at Billund.

The reason is that the unions are much stronger at Copenhagen, which is the hub for the whole of Scandinavia. However, now that the dispute is out in the open, the unions are demanding that Ryanair enter into collective bargaining agreements at both airports, otherwise there will be strikes.

Ryanair's response to that is the same as that at Copenhagen, namely that they would rather dismantle their base, and fly to the airport from a foreign base, than sign collective bargaining agreements. My guess is that this is not an empty threat, but that they mean it. In which case, the net result of the dispute will not just be the loss of jobs in the capital, but the loss of even more jobs (19 pilots and 45 cabin staff) in the middle of Jutland.

One thing to note in this saga is that the trade unions concerned do not currently represent any of Ryanair's employees, and that none of Ryanair's employees have asked for help from any of the unions in obtaining a collective bargaining agreement. Nor is it the case that Ryanair has any problem recruiting in Denmark. Against that background, I am not surprised that Ryanair have called the labour court's decision crazy.

Walter Blotscher