Ryanair & Gate Gourmet & BA

down | worker & community struggles and protests | other press Saturday September 03, 2005 18:35 by Dave - SWP

Bring the bosses down to earth

See how the fat cats network:
"Alongside O'Leary at this press briefing sat David Bonderman - boss of Texas Pacific, who own Gate Gourmet - and the man O'Leary hopes will bankroll his medieval pillaging of the rest of the airline industry. O'Leary and Bonderman (who, incidentally, is also chairman of Ryanair) are already tied up through their joint interest in Texas Pacific, the venture capital firm which took over Gate in 2003. Bonderman is so loaded that he spent an estimated $7 million on his birthday party - with live music from the Rolling Stones, no less, and a stand-up routine from Robin Williams."

"There is also an interesting tie-up between O'Leary, Bonderman and the new boss of BA, Willie Walsh, who actually takes command in a month or two. Walsh used to be at Aer Lingus, and came onto the radar as a possible replacement for Rod Eddington because he managed to see through privatisation of the Irish state-run airline at the same time as fending off competition from Ryanair. But all three were involved in the landmark dispute which shook Dublin airport a few years ago, when Gate Gourmet rushed to the High Court for an injunction to stop union activists even talking about the need for solidarity. "

Read the full article at http://www.socialistreview.org.uk/article.php?articlenumber=9502