One of the great things about social media like Twitter is that you get to hear about stuff that would never make it to the mainstream media in the country where you live. For example, you’ll read in the newspapers and hear on television about Boris Johnson’s latest wheeze, to make strikes by London’s Underground workers illegal, except more than 50% of returned ballots vote for a strike. (By which criteria, he wouldn’t be Mayor of London). And you might even have heard that Ryanair doesn’t permit its workers to be in a trade union, thus treating its customers and its workers equally: like dog-poo on the sole of its shoe.
But you need social media to know things like this one about Norway. It has a clothing and fashion designer chain-store called Design Forum. The workers for Design Forum are unionized since October of last year but the company refuses to recognise the existence of the union. So the workers are fighting back.
A token fourteen workers drawn from Design Forum shops all over Norway are on strike, demanding recognition. Hardly an unreasonable demand, with 80% of the company’s employees in the union. And it’s not as if having a union was a decoration of some kind. This company’s workers need one. Some employees don’t have a work contract, even though that’s illegal under Norwegian law. The workers don’t get overtime pay and enjoy few of the benefits that are the norm for Norwegian workers. The good news is that the striking workers are getting a lot of media attention and are supported by fellow trade unionists.
Now, being a simple-minded person, I’d always thought of Norway as being an affluent, liberal, advanced democracy. Yet only through Twitter do I get to hear that Design Forum is effectively refusing to recognise the legitimacy of 1,800,000 union members in that country.
The trouble with companies like Ryanair and Design Forum is that they can do what they want because people let them away with it. Sometimes through ignorance – they don’t know about the set-up – and sometimes through fear – they are prepared to take a job at any price. The one thing such companies can’t withstand is being brought out into the open and shown up as the backward-looking troglodytes they are.
Ryanair’s day will come, please God. Meanwhile, if you want to show your support for the workers in Norway, you can visit the strikers’ site on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/StreikDesignForum . It’s all in Norwegian but there’s no mistaking that ‘Like’ button. Be sure you hit it good and hard.
thanks for the heads up, always enjoy lending my support to the down trodden!
Agree with your point Jude regarding the support of workers rights. However , not sure about describing Ryanair as ‘backward looking troglodytes’. There’s no doubt they have serious issues to address, but is it only in Ireland where such a success story would be described in this way without any recognition of the positive impact that they have brought to air travel? Is it possible to treat your customers and staff like ‘dog poo on the sole of your shoe’ and yet year on year continue to grow and expand their business to be one of the worlds biggest airlines?
Surely they’re not all bad, they do have competition don’t they?
I don’t think I said they were all bad, ASR. But their record shows that when customers come with a complaint, they’re usually met with ‘If you don’t like it, take a hike’. And any outfit that outlaws a union is indeed a disgrace – to call such a troglodyte is an insult to cavemen everywhere.
Jude you didn’t say they were all bad and I agree with you regarding the union bans, but surely poor customer service, however bad, can’t also be a reason to label them as this. Is it not just terrible customer service? However if they are troglodytes, then i can’t wait to read your Jim Allister profile. ( apologies if its written and I haven’t read it)
Jude,
I’ve travelled all over Europe with Ryanair and can’t fault them. They do what it says on the tin. The only complaints I’ve heard are from travellers who turn up at the boarding gate without boarding cards or carrying excess luggage. My only gripe is I’ve had to pay more in Airport Taxes than the actual airfare!
btw I’ve “liked” the Forum Design strikers page.
Good on you, Angela. For the Like bit. But try turning up in a wheelchair at Ryanair…And remember nice Michael O’Leary’s macho boast that he was thinking of charging for the use of the toilets on planes…
Jude,
I’m certainly no apologist for Ryanair but I have accompanied a wheelchaiir user for Ryanair flights however the arrangements are made thru’ the airport itself for this and not directly with Ryanair. As for the “toilet charges” or indeed the “standing only flights” I think these were claims very much made tongue in cheek by the bold Michael and got him the free publicity he wanted.
His ads are and were a hoot – that I’ll hand him, Angela. Not much else. Oh, except my money for a seat that looks cheap until you add the extras…
Ireland has many things to be proud of but Ryanair certainly isn’t one of them.Ryan is an out and out Thatcherite ,so much so that hopefully the world thinks of him as a Brittish Tory and do not link him in their minds to us!
Stand by for a knighthood (not you, Michael – the other Michael…)
I mistakenly referred to him as Ryan.He is of course Michael O’ Leary,the worst employer in Ireland.
You know, Jude, I’ve always said it’s a shame the monks and virgins of Clonmacnois and Bangor never unionised themselves before the Norwegian Lochlainn arrived for their wee bit of rape and pillage. There’s still a few O’Loughlins and McLoughlins around Derry whose bank accounts might be worth looking into for laundered Viking ill-gotten gains.