Hits Easter travel time

AUA strike possible for 36 hours from March 28

From March 28, work is to be stopped for up to 36 hours.(Bild: APA/ROBERT JAEGER)

During the important Easter travel period, strikes by AUA on-board staff are causing flight cancellations. From March 28, work is to be stopped for up to 36 hours. The strike can only be prevented by an "immediate offer" - 430 flights with around 52,000 passengers are affected.

Previously, no agreement had been reached in a round of collective bargaining on Friday evening, and the dispute between AUA and the cabin crew had come to a head. 

At midday on Saturday, a decision was announced to strike from midnight on Thursday 28 March for 36 hours until 12 noon on 29 March. This was decided unanimously, as was a new request to AUA "to make a better offer without delay", said Daniel Liebhart, head of the vida aviation section. This was the only way to prevent a strike. The deadline is "March 27 at 23:59 and 59 seconds".

Trigger of the labor dispute

The employee representatives broke off negotiations on Thursday evening and are demanding a new offer from the airline. According to the union, the current offer only covers inflation and there is no real wage increase. The current salary structure is significantly lower than that of the German parent company Lufthansa.

"Escalation measures by the works council and the union are not helping to find a solution," said an AUA spokesperson.

AUA tries to rebook those affected
The travel chaos during the important Easter travel period thus appears to be perfect. According to the airline, 430 flights with around 52,000 passengers are to be affected. Attempts are now being made to reach all those affected and rebook them if possible. As Lufthansa is already very well booked overall during the busy travel period and therefore only a few remaining seats are available, this will be a difficult undertaking.

Strike day costs company ten million euros
However, there was still no new offer, as requested by the employee representatives from the works council and the union. On the contrary: "One day of strike action alone causes the company financial losses of up to ten million euros. It is therefore conceivable that the offer of up to 18 percent increase for flight attendants and pilots, and even up to 28 percent for co-pilots, will have to be revised in order to compensate for the damage."

Accepting our offer would once again mean one of the highest collective wage agreements in Austria, said the spokesperson. Employee representatives, on the other hand, only see "number games" and in fact "only a compensation for inflation".

AUA refers to "employee bonus"
 The company also referred to the employee bonus on Friday: The airline is paying out a total of around 30 million euros this year. Employees would receive up to one extra month's salary if the airline is economically successful.

The strike can still be averted until "March 27 at 23:59 and 59 seconds".(Bild: APA/EVA MANHART)

The company is also prepared to increase the bonus so that employees could receive up to two months' salary in future. From the point of view of the employees, this is too far behind the pay at the parent company Lufthansa.