French court fines Ryanair €8m for breaking labour laws

Ryanair has been ordered to pay €8m in fines and damages by a French court.

The company has been found to have breached labour laws in the country.

The violations are said to have taken place between 2007 and 2010.

Ryanair said it will appeal the ruling saying, in a statement that "the majority of which relate to alleged non-payment of social insurance and state pension contributions in France for Ryanair crews flying to/from Marseille from 2007 to 2010, despite the fact that these people were employed on Irish contracts, operating on Irish registered aircraft (defined as Irish territory) and have already paid their taxes, social taxes and state pension contributions in Ireland, in full compliance with Irish and EU regulations."

Ryanair said it believes there is a "clear contradiction" between current EU employment regulations and the 2006 French decree which, they say, "seeks to require airline crews operating in Ireland to pay social taxes and pension contributions in France, despite the fact that they have already paid them in Ireland."

Ryanair said: "Should Ryanair be ultimately forced to pay these social taxes and pension contributions in France, then the vast majority of these contributions will be reclaimable from the Irish Government."