On Monday

Negotiations for AUA on-board staff continue

AUA employees on their way to the works meeting(Bild: APA/Robert Jäger)

On Thursday, 92 Austrian Airlines flights were canceled due to a works meeting. Negotiations for a new collective agreement for AUA on-board staff are to continue on Monday, as has now been announced.

"If the AUA managers were serious with their offer of an 18 or 28 percent increase, a result would be reached quickly", said Vida boss Roman Hebenstreit after the works meeting. In fact, however, these figures also include bonuses that will never be achieved, or changes in working hours will be offset. "An analysis by the works council shows: the bottom line is that this would be no more than pure inflation compensation."

An analysis by the works council shows that, at the end of the day, this would be no more than pure inflation compensation.

Vida-Chef Roman Hebenstreit zum AUA-Angebot

According to estimates by the works council, the share of personnel costs for flight personnel amounts to eleven percent and would increase by a few percentage points if the demands were met. In order to adjust AUA salaries to those of the German Lufthansa Group, there are also considerations for a step-by-step plan, said Hebenstreit.

According to the union, more than a thousand employees took part in the works meeting.(Bild: APA/Robert Jäger)

They are demanding a salary increase of 40 percent. The Group is offering a maximum of 28.(Bild: APA/Robert Jäger)

More than a thousand employees at the meeting
More than a thousand employees took part in the works meeting and the workforce stood united behind the negotiating team. Shareholders and the management team would receive "fat dividends", while the employees would not be allowed to participate.

They are not only endangering thousands of jobs at AUA, but in the entire aviation industry and ultimately also at the airport and in the supplier companies, which are all being ruthlessly held hostage.

Günther Ofner, Vorstand des Wiener Flughafens

Günther Ofner, CEO of Vienna Airport and Chairman of the Aviation Industry in the Chamber of Commerce, takes a completely different view. "The flight cancellations provoked by vida and the AUA on-board works council are a campaign to drive away customers and play into the hands of AUA's competitors in particular." The airport and its suppliers are being "ruthlessly held hostage."

18 vs. 40 percent salary increase
As reported , 17 rounds of negotiations have so far failed to produce an agreement. Hundreds of flights have been canceled since then. The AUA on-board works council and the union are demanding that wages be adjusted to those of Lufthansa. This means an increase of 40 percent. Management is offering up to 18 percent more for pilots and 28 percent more for co-pilots over two years. If salaries were increased even more, 60 percent of AUA's routes would be unprofitable, the management argues.