Originally Posted by MADflyer
Yes, to avoid having to deal with the government agencies and labour unions the check-in employees are employed by a local agency that would would be stuck with all the contract problems if Ryanair was to just suddenly pull out. At NYO i beleive they are actually employed by the airport authority who signed the dream contract with Ryanair.
Employing local handling agencies is very much the norm in Europe - for all airlines, not just Ryanair. I don't know of any European airlines that employs its own handling staff other than at their home airport and a few major hubs. As a general rule check-in and gate staff are provided by airports, or by specialist handling agents such as Servisair, or by other airlines.