The President of the Workers Party Michael Finnegan has said that the massive profits declared today (Wednesday) by Ryanair have been made on the back of low paid and overworked employees.

Mr. Finnegan said that the €40 million payout to Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary was an obscenity and said it was clear that the capitalist class were far from financially troubled despite the current crisis which has resulted in pay cuts for workers and cutbacks in key services.

“Michael O’Leary”, said Mr. Finnegan, “is constantly complaining about workers being ‘overpaid’ when in fact he has just claimed a salary equivalent to the annual income of over 2,200 workers on the Minimum Wage.   It is an utter obscenity”.

“The debate on pay in this country is totally skewed against ordinary workers who have been pilloried in the press while the likes of Michael O’Leary have been eulogised as the captains of industry and entrepreneurship.  Newspapers such as the Irish Independent have been howling for cuts in the pay of hardworking public servants with hardly a peep of criticism for such massive payouts as claimed by Mr. O’Leary”, said the Workers’ Party President.

Issued 2nd June 2010.