Strikes affecting Belgian airports in 2016

[luchtzak]

Strikes affecting Belgian airports in 2015
Strikes affecting Belgian airports in 2016

[sn26567]

Belgian Railroads strike on 6-7 January: don't come to Brussels Airport by train on those two days!

[sn26567]

In a statement released this Friday, the General Confederation of Labour (CGT) called Air France staff to strike on January 28 on the occasion of the first central works council of the year.

[convair]

...(CGT) called Air France staff to strike on January 28 on the occasion of the first central works council of the year.

That's obviously an important event to celebrate!

[sn26567]

Belgian Railroads strike on 6-7 January: don't come to Brussels Airport by train on those two days!

See the BRU information here: http://wp.me/p5lySl-2in

[sn26567]

In a statement released this Friday, the General Confederation of Labour (CGT) called Air France staff to strike on January 28 on the occasion of the first central works council of the year.

Air France has confirmed it has been informed of strike action by the CGT trade union on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016 and by Alter, a minor pilots’ union, from Jan. 10-13.

According to several media reports, CGT is protesting job cuts as well as the legal action taken against five employees involved in an Oct. 5, 2015, attack on Air France officials after the airline presented its restructuring plan.

The Alter pilots’ union, representing about 10% of Air France pilots, has called for the strike actions to protest disciplinary procedures involving two of its members, which were suspended in October after helping demonstrators enter the company’s headquarters near the Charles de Gaulle airport in connection with the October layoff announcement.

Source: ATW online

[SN501]

Belgian Railroads strike on 6-7 January: don't come to Brussels Airport by train on those two days!

See the BRU information here: http://wp.me/p5lySl-2in

STIB (Brussels public transport) will increase capacity on busline 12 to and from the airport on those two days.

[sn26567]

French air traffic controllers (and public service) affiliated with CGT, FO and SNCTA on strike Tuesday 26 January! The airlines are requested by DGAC (Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile) to cancel 20% of their flights.

[sn26567]

French air traffic controllers (and public service) affiliated with CGT, FO and SNCTA on strike Tuesday 26 January! The airlines are requested by DGAC (Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile) to cancel 20% of their flights.

Several Ryanair flights cancelled at BRU and CRL. Consult this link to know which flights are affected: https://t.co/80K1DcBXug

And sign this petition to stop ATC strikes: https://t.co/LdvnFfU8eQ

Most affected of course will be Air France, which intends to operate all long-haul flights and 80% of short-haul flights. See their planning here: http://www.airfrance.fr/FR/en/common/pa ... france.htm

[Passenger]

French air traffic controllers (and public service) affiliated with CGT, FO and SNCTA on strike Tuesday 26 January! The airlines are requested by DGAC (Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile) to cancel 20% of their flights.

Some airlines will use (abuse) this request to cancel flights with very low occupancy: they can say that the cancellation is due to a strike by a public service. Thus extraordinary circumstances, thus no pay out of indemnity.

The French DGAC should advise which flights should be cancelled, with the time lapse as deciding factor.

[Passenger]

The so called christian trade union at Belgocontrol has announced a new strike after next week's school holiday.

ACV Transcom: "...ACV Transcom besloot eerder vandaag – na consultatie van de achterban – om de sociale vrede die sedert juni 2014 werd gesloten op te zeggen. Dit nadat we al maanden wachten op het invullen van verschillende concrete punten die toen werden afgesproken. De vertrouwenscrisis bij het personeel zit erg diep, net als het wantrouwen jegens het management en de politiek..."

Translated: we love to strike and our last strike dates from June 2014.

[Stij]

Time for a winter barbecue!

[Atco EBBR]

Translated: we love to strike and our last strike dates from June 2014.

Seriously? Do you have any knowlegde about what's going on at Belgocontrol?

After the last strike, there was an agreement on how to tackle several issues. However, there have been countless meetings but results unfortunately do not seem to follow. So, at the end of the day, what option remains?

To give you one example: I don't know how long I will have to work before retirement. Until the first retirement reform of then minister Decroo, it was easy: effective ATC until 55, then 5 years 'dispo', and then at 60: early retirement. But now, that's no longer possible (early retirement being moved to 63). So there's 3 years missing...

Personally, I don't worry about it yet, because I'm still far from retirement, so there's still time and a big chance that the rules will change again in the meanwhile. But there are colleagues who are months from 55 and still don't know what will happen. Can you seriously blame them for being worried?

[sean1982]

euh yes? 55 is an unrealistically young age to retire

[Atco EBBR]

Personally I agree. But effective ATC is forbidden after 55. So alternatives should have been in place already for a long time. They are not. People want to know what's going to happen to them, and at what conditions.

There are other things as well:

• The age pyramid of that active controllers is horrible: about half of the controllers will reach 55 in the next 5-10 years. So you would expect that the ATCO training is up and running at 110%. At the moment, there are 10 trainees (already 3 failed en route), which should be fully qualified in another 2 years

• We have been asking for personalised setting on our position for over 2 years. Each controller has his own way of setting the radar and auxiliary screens up. Depending on which colleague you release, it can take up to 3 minutes before everything is as you want it to be. 3 minutes in ATC is loooong...

• There are technical issues, which I won't go into

• We have the worst conditions of the surrounding countries: we work around 200 - 220 days a year, whereas in the UK it's 180 and even less in France (granted...), for a lower pay (gross and net)

So all I'm saying is that there might be legitimate reasons to threaten with a strike. It's not something which happens without a reason.

[EBBU]

euh yes? 55 is an unrealistically young age to retire

55 is not the retirement age as clearly indicated in ATCO ebbr's post.

Fyi,

In Belgium there is a KB/AR that makes it compulsory for atco's to stop effectively controlling at the age of 55. Since most controllers have a specific education as a controller and no other degree, their professional career effectively ends at 55.

Positions where you can apply this specific training after 55 are relatively few (e.g.: instructor, ATS expert,...)

At his moment there are controllers older than 55 that already left the company and will not be able to retire at the age of 60 due to a law that was passed after they left. I firmly believe that these people deserve a clear and concise answer to their question : what will happen to me when I reach the age of 60?

Furthermore, the average age of a belgian ATCO is 42 and if nothing changes it will be 48 in 5 years. This does not seem very healthy to me.

[EBBU]

Also, I would like to point out that the first actions will not be felt by the airlines or general public as they will be primarily directed to target the management of belgocontrol and the political actors.

[Passenger]

Also, I would like to point out that the first actions will not be felt by the airlines or general public as they will be primarily directed to target the management of belgocontrol and the political actors.

I can't speak for all passengers and certainly not for the airlines, but thank you so much for using passengers and airlines as your secondary targets only. It is with great relief to read that we will only be victims of your second series of actions.

[sean1982]

Time to change the KB then and quickly too. Would the union support that?

[EBBU]

I can't speak for all passengers and certainly not for the airlines, but thank you so much for using passengers and airlines as your secondary targets only. It is with great relief to read that we will only be victims of your second series of actions.

Who says there will be a second series of actions?
Why would you assume no agreement will be reached?

@sean

A change to the KB/AR might be the best solution, acceptance of the change by the unions will depend on the change of course