The full text of a petition which had been signed by 650 staff at Ryanair and which their representatives said had been ignored by politicians and the media:
"We the undersigned (signatures will be provided upon request) working Ryanair employees wish to express our disgust and outrage at the untruths and slanderous comments that are currently being circulated by politicians and the media. We, the majority of Ryanair staff, are not simply `glued to VDU screens and check-in desks'. We are perfectly capable of thinking for ourselves and expressing our wishes.
"Our current position is that we do not feel we require a third party to negotiate on our behalf with regard to any issues that concern us.
"We are proud to be part of a successful company which was not built up at a cost to the taxpayer - but rather by our hard work and efficiency.
"We demand the withdrawal of all requests for a public boycott of Ryanair and the consequential threat to all of our livelihoods. It is a poor reflection on the state of our nation when vote grabbing politicians, rather than well informed public representatives working for the common good, put all of our jobs at risk.
"For the record we the undersigned staff of Ryanair have a voice and refuse to permit the further bludgeoning of our abilities and skills to continue.
"We demand that Bernie Malone MEP - Labour, Eamon Gilmore TD - Democratic Left, Pat Rabbitte TD, Democratic Left, to name but a few, withdraw the insulting comments on the quality of Ryanair employees. We would expect a more informed and unbiased representation from both media and politicians."