Ryanair marketing stall ejected by students
Article published: Saturday, October 29th 2011
Ryanair had to cancel a marketing event at the University of Manchester Students Union earlier this week after students dismantled their promotional stall in protest against the company’s record on the environment and workers’ rights.
A protest banner from a previous Ryanair demonstration
Ryanair had advertised to hold a stall from 12pm to 3pm last Thursday (29 October). However, at 12.30pm, a group of around nine students began dismantling the company’s banners and display boards and popping their promotional balloons. The Ryanair sales team soon left the building.
Students said the action was in anger at Ryanair’s disregard for the dangers of climate change by aggressively marketing cheap flights. They said the action was also taken in solidarity with disgruntled Ryanair workers. Last August, Ryanair worker John Foley staged a rooftop protest at Liverpool John Lennon Airport against the company’s anti-union activities and poor record on workers rights.
Physics student Catherine Redcliffe said, “Ryainair’s relentless pursuit of profit over all other concerns is trampling on workers’ rights and endangering our future at the same time. The aviation industry takes more money out of Northwest region than it puts in.”
Nonetheless, Ryanair seemed adamant that the day had been a success claiming that their staff were “about to pack up and head home” when the stall was disrupted. Spokesperson Stephen McNamara said, “Ryanair thanks the Plane Stupid clowns for once again turning a good promo into a great promo.”
One balloon remaining. Ryanair's abandoned marketing stall at the Students Union
Student Union democracy
The students, who did not claim to be from any particular group, were further angered at Students Union management for renting the space to Ryanair in the first place. Previously, students had voted that their union should campaign on climate issues and not have business relations with environmentally-damaging companies.
Geography student Marc Hempton, 20, said, “I wanted to show how Ryanair’s presence was a breach of our democratic process. This is my Union and our collective decision had been sidelined by unelected management. We shouldn’t allow environmentally damaging companies in our union where we have fought for positive policies on climate change and against relationships with unethical companies. I’m glad we sent them packing for the day.”
On Wednesday, activists had petitioned UMSU management with letters signed by students to cancel the promotional event. Management refused, saying that Ryanair stall was bringing in extra cash.
Hempton added, “In some ways, this is a microcosm of problems regarding climate change and workers’ rights. Where making a quick profit is prioritised at the expense of people and our environment, it makes it harder to address these issues and creates bigger costs further down the line.”
In response to the protest, UMSU Communcations Officer Jeremy Buck said, “UMSU recognises the controversial booking of Ryanair caused some of our members to be disappointed in our decision…In this case, with our policy stance on climate change in mind, we made a mistake, but we aim to improve all the time. The Ethical and Sustainable Business Committee has just been elected from the Student Council, who will provide scrutiny and guidance on these issues for the rest of the year.”
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Comments
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We get this story every year or so – not always Ryan Air and not always Manchester of course.
The body of students at a university turns over very quickly, so I suppose it isn’t surprising that these ejection tactics are used again and again as if they were in any way original or useful.
I doubt that any company targeted by such student idealism has had any problem whatsoever in recruiting all the graduates it wants – which is probably why these ejections are always tolerated and no students are ever arrested for what amounts to petty vandalism and criminal damage. Their antics are excused, in the way we excuse the bad behaviour of schoolchildren, which of course is what university students effectively are, albeit in years 14,15, and 16.
I expect that the number of students using Ryan Air and other budget airlines for cheap flights and mummy and daddy financed gap years dwarfs the number involved in protests of this type by a ratio of thousnds to one, if not millions.
Comment by simon on October 31, 2011 at 2:55 pm -
Bollocks – it’s down to this kind of activity that Nestle were unable to recruit in Northern Europe, it just has to be widescale enough. The countless similar protests are not tolerated by companies, so don’t be so patronising. Yes they try to manage them, and unless widescale enough they can deal with them, but nonetheless they can be effective, and even if they weren’t, are the right thing to do. Better than us typing here!
Comment by Bob on November 2, 2011 at 1:36 am -
My mate was nicked for doing that so what you on about simon u tit!
Comment by J on November 3, 2011 at 4:12 pm -
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