Ryanair, a UK budget airline, is reported to have banned its staff from charging mobile phones at work to save money. Staff already have to buy their own uniforms.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/beds/bu...rts/4471833.stm

That is sad.

Hence the name Budget Airline. They should have to charge their own phones, why should the airline pay for something the employee can't even use while working?Seems fair to me.And as for uniforms, here in the states, if they pay for uniforms they get a tax deduction for them. Grab My FREEWARE Voice recognition Profiles here:[a href=http://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?CatID=fs2004misc&DLID=58334]Cessna 172 Voice Profile[/a][a href=http://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?CatID=fs2004misc&DLID=60740]FSD Avanti Voice Profile[/a].You will need the main FREEWARE Flight Assistant program to use it, get it here:[a href=http://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?CatID=genutils&DLID=39661]Flight Assistant 2.2[/a]

Yeah, but this is probably taking things too far. A commentator on BBC mentioned earlier today that the average cost of a full charge of a mobile phone is 1.4p (

look in the mirror to see the culprit of this.people who pay $100 for a trip from ORD to LAX are guilty. the airlines just keep lowering and lowering fares. of course labor is going to feel the pinch.this is absolutely ridiculous. there are reserve pilots who must be in contact with crew scheduling, ie through their cell phone. it is a necessary tool to be used. i also heard ryanair charges their crew members for water and drinks if they are working a flight. horrible. but alas, hey mom and pop get a ticket for cheap cheap cheap.

It's a little more complex than just pennypinching. As an employer in the U.K., Ryanair will be responsible for the health & safety of all their staff. This will require that all electrical appliances used are subjected to PAT (Portable Appliance Testing). this is to ensure that they are safe and do not pose a fire hazard. It's a lot easier to ban staff from bringing electrical appliances to work than to ensure that a proper testing regime is implemented. Employees would merely circumvent the testing and logging process to avoid the inconvenience.I don't believe Ryanair's intention is to save money, but merely to limit the risk of fires. It will also be part of their insurance policy that PAT testing is carried out and documented.As for staff buying their own uniforms, this IS tax-deductible in the U.K., just as it is in the U.S.

And don't forget that in most industries it's entirely expected of staff to buy and maintain their own work clothes.My father as a tax consultant was expected by his employers to always be properly dressed in suit and tie, the company once gave him a tie with company logo as a gift for working for them 5 years but that was it.

Can you point me to the regulation(s) covering PAT?Will Ryanair independently check equipment it buys - such as laptops?

They'll have to, unless such equipment is certified safe when purchased (I think manufacturers can have the testing done and sell it as such, I know that's how it often works in other countries).

>Can you point me to the regulation(s) covering PAT?>>Will Ryanair independently check equipment it buys - such as>laptops?From the Health & Safety Executive's website: http://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/electricequip.htmIf Ryanair are not carrying out PAT testing then they are leaving themselves open to litigation if an employee is injured by a faulty electrical appliance. At present the fines for this are UNLIMITED and the company directors can be imprisoned (for up to 10 years I believe). So it's hard to imagine that a company of their size is flouting this regulation.