The Irish Examiner reports that Ryanair is to sue Channel 4 over the airing of a ‘Dispatches’ programme in which pilots claim that passengers are put at risk by the company’s fuel policy. Here’s what the paper reports:
The expose also used a survey by the Ryanair Pilot Group – which says it encompasses all pilots working for Ryanair – though Michael O’Leary has refused to recognise it.
According to the survey, an overwhelming majority of Ryanair pilots have concerns about work practices and safety – but they don’t feel they can speak up.
Before the show was even over, Ryanair issued with a statement saying it intends to sue Channel 4 for defamation.
It says the ‘Dispatches’ programme was unfair, unbalanced and inaccurate, describing it as an attempt by European pilot unions and its competitors to denigrate or smear Ryanair.
This is nothing new from Ryanair. I mentioned in my last post that the company has previously alleged bullying and intimidation by its own pilots, but that when it took legal action to have the names revealed of those who had posted critical comments on a website anonymously, a High Court judge found that the only evidence of bullying was by Ryanair. To think that some treat the company as a model for employee relations.
Business & Human Rights in Ireland 