One year on, Ryanair still needs to stabilise its industrial relations

A year after Ryanair announced it would recognise unions, the company still has a long way to go before it can be considered a fair employer. On 15 December 2017, under immense pressure from workers and facing looming challenges to its growth plans and corporate governance, Ryanair announced that it would recognise unions for the […]


December 12, 2018

Ryanair chief executive wins prize for world’s worst boss

Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary has been voted the world’s worst boss at the Congress of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). The prize, whose shortlist also included Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Uber’s Dara Khosrowshahi, was open to a worldwide public vote in the lead-up to the ITUC Congress. The contenders are all top business […]


December 6, 2018

ITF backs airline workers action in Argentina

The general secretary of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) has written to Argentine ministers demanding immediate action to resolve a dispute at the Aerolíneas Argentinas Group. In the letter to minister of transport Guillermo Dietrich and minister of production and labour Dante Sica, Stephen Cotton says: “I am writing to you as we have […]


November 27, 2018

Another great success for Ryanair cabin crew fighting for their rights!

On 15 November, the German federal government kept its promise regarding closing a loophole in the country’s labour legislation which has traditionally benefited airlines at the expense of workers. Under the German industrial relations system workers in companies above a certain size are able to form a ‘works council’, giving them a voice in how […]


November 16, 2018

Gulf Air reinstates 14 dismissed workers

National and international solidarity played an important role in encouraging Bahrain’s national air carrier Gulf Air to reinstate 14 aviation workers and union activists who were dismissed for exercising their routine union activities. The ITF wrote to the carrier’s Chairman and CEO, calling on the company to reinstate the workers who were dismissed without any […]


November 12, 2018

ITF civil aviation section backs Nigerian minimum wage demands

The ITF civil aviation section has written to affiliate unions in Nigeria expressing support for their role in demanding a higher minimum wage.


November 6, 2018

Union research shows support for Ryanair chairman even lower than reported

Shareholder support for Ryanair chairman David Bonderman at the company’s recent AGM was even lower than reported, new research by trade union groups shows. The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) have analysed the records of shareholder votes published since the Ryanair AGM last month. The research shows that even […]


October 29, 2018

ITF calls on global airlines to refuse to assist in forced deportations

The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) fights for the rights of airline workers globally, including ground staff, cabin crew and pilots. ITF has become increasingly concerned about the role of commercial airlines in forced deportations and the impact this has on front-line staff.


October 26, 2018