Swissport industrial action at Brussels Airport

[sn26567]

Further talks between Swissport management and trade unions will resume tomorrow morning. In the meantime, the strike continues...

[StijnBRU]

I do not think we can underestimate the workload some ramp teams have at the PAX terminal. If you have to load 25kg bags the entire day, you may notice that you have been working for some time.
Strange thing to me is that swissport just lost 2 major customers, JAF and IB, so praticly all big charter movements are now handeld by AP...

I have been working together with swissport and AP, and you notice a big difference in mentallity between both handlers...

The only bad thing, is that ones again BRU has negative promotion, it feels like working in France...there are other ways to get your point...not by affecting the entire airport...

[ExSabena]

Iberia, Delta, Lufthansa and Swiss are cancelling their flights tomorrow. One flight of Brussels Airlines to Africa also cancelled.

[RoMax]

One flight of Brussels Airlines to Africa also cancelled.

The question is if that has anything to do with Swissport...I have the strange feeling that it has more to do with SN's recent A330 problems

[b720]

Don t get it. U don t want to load 25 kg bags get another job!! Baggage handle is handling
Baggage, or not?

[Flanker2]

Don t get it. U don t want to load 25 kg bags get another job!! Baggage handle is handling
Baggage, or not?

Not everyone has a choice you know. I don't think that being a baggage handler is on anyone's job wishlist...
If you quit without having another job, who's going to pay for rent and food? OCMW/PCAS?

IMO it's a vicious circle.

High taxes = less staff = higher workload = it's better to stay home than work like crazy for the same money = RVA/ONEM welfare = high taxes.

[AirOpinion]

This has nothing to do about the loading of 25KG bags...

It has to do with
- an urealistic demand for flexibilty
- the fact that agreemants between management and blue collar workers are not being respected during operations due to understaffing. This resulting in safety procedures and SLAs that can not be followed to the letter.

Basically workers have the same goal as most of you... increase the service! Because offloading a A321 with 2 loaders results in long waiting times at the baggage belts. And less people on the workfloor result in less motivation because people are working above their capacity.

Many expected a positive change in service with the new Swissport arriving in Brussels. But unfortunately nothing changed!

Often I have read that swissport service is not of a good standard... wel the swissport employees think exactly the same... After many signals now they pulled the emergency handle. And what do they get in return... nothing but bullshit in their face.

[Flanker2]

Thank you for clarifying AirOpinion.
Many companies in Belgium are increasingly becoming unbearable to work for. These flex schedules are a very bad solution for a social problem and many managements find a magic formula in it, until they actually try it out. At SN, the ground staff also have this flex schedule weighing over their heads since quite some time.

I don't blame the companies, I blame high taxation for these issues. But I do blame companies for playing along with the government instead of uniting with their employees and other companies, against the government.
All these issues are being caused by monetary policy. Back in the days we used to print fresh money when the governments needed it, nowadays printing money is taboo and everything has to be covered through loans. How can you finance growth with a restricted volume of money? You simply can't and this will be taught in history books as one of the largest political failures in history.

Like that wasn't enough, in Europe they are now trying to put government over government with the EU. Another round of useless people have to be paid in unproductive jobs.

Sorry if this seems like off-topic, but it's not, as the Swissport problem is IMO the result of a political issue.

[9vsmu]

@airopinion/flanker2,

thanks guys (girls!) for this realistic view. Seems to me that some people have trouble seeing the difference between spotting a/c, talking about aircraft and WORKING around aircraft.

Some people forget that not the people have changed, but the working conditions, such as pay, flexibility,....



ps. (girls) as I don't know you, this makes it polital correct.

[BRU]

Thank you for clarifying AirOpinion.
Many companies in Belgium are increasingly becoming unbearable to work for. These flex schedules are a very bad solution for a social problem and many managements find a magic formula in it, until they actually try it out. At SN, the ground staff also have this flex schedule weighing over their heads since quite some time.

I don't blame the companies, I blame high taxation for these issues. But I do blame companies for playing along with the government instead of uniting with their employees and other companies, against the government.
All these issues are being caused by monetary policy. Back in the days we used to print fresh money when the governments needed it, nowadays printing money is taboo and everything has to be covered through loans. How can you finance growth with a restricted volume of money? You simply can't and this will be taught in history books as one of the largest political failures in history.

Like that wasn't enough, in Europe they are now trying to put government over government with the EU. Another round of useless people have to be paid in unproductive jobs.

Sorry if this seems like off-topic, but it's not, as the Swissport problem is IMO the result of a political issue.

In Belgium, it's always the taxes... What is correct is that higher taxes lead to higher handling charges for the airlines. That is one of the reasons why BRU is more expensive than other airports. But staff is also much less flexible, another reason why BRU is more expensive. Look at AMS and the flexibility staff has overthere. We are very far from that. You can not all expect to work at an airport, have full time contracts and a steady flow of work. There will be peaks, aircraft are not always on schedule etc etc. Due to the duopoly at BRU, working conditions with handlers in BRU are not that bad at all compared to more competitive airports. So a bit realism would also be good. At bpost and belgacom people were also saying that regime could not be changed, and that they are working too hard already... And look, 20 years later and (semi)privatised they are different companies.

And printing money the solution for everything ???? Never heard about inflitation ? And what it does to an economy, especially if you have an index system in place as in Belgium ?

So yes, taxes are a problem in this country. But not THE problem. Yes, you might have to work hard at some times (but note that average productivity of staff a ground handler does not exceed 50 to 60% - so who can say that almost half of his working time he is not working ??) and yes, there is flexibility requested. But this is an international context and this is how economical progress was made in the past too.

Again: you can not have less flexibility, more wage, more people and at the same time want cheaper air fares when going on holiday. It is a matter of finding the balance....

[sean1982]

Some people forget that not the people have changed, but the working conditions, such as pay, flexibility,....

I would suggest if people have something against flexibility then they should look for a job which is NOT in aviation. Furthermore the government should really start the work on some rules for strikes in the "service providing sector" like a mandatory minimum service for example. It makes my blood boil if I read statements form the head of the union that say:"We will not except that companies would service their own airplanes as an emergency solution, as that would be a "breaking" of the strike"

Have these people completely lost their mind?? Seems stupidity is a requirement to join.

[Flanker2]

And printing money the solution for everything ???? Never heard about inflitation ? And what it does to an economy, especially if you have an index system in place as in Belgium ?

Printing money is not a solution, it's a necessity. Money represents work, it has always been. We're not ants, we need to receive or pay money to get work done.

Growth occurs when more work is done than before. When more work is done, more money needs to be circulating to represent that growth in work, otherwise you are trying to pay that growth with existing money. That requires deflation, as the money needs to have more value to compensate for the growth in work. However, deflation has been blocked by cheap products imports from China and other countries and the competition that the EU is favoring. This causes money to flow towards China much faster than the deflation you are causing artificially. If this flow isn't stopped, the supply ends much faster than deflation can take place.
If you can't stop the flow of money, you have to compensate it with the unavoidable inflation.

At some point, you can achieve a balance, but with a heavily negative trade balance, you can only have inflation.

I would suggest if people have something against flexibility then they should look for a job which is NOT in aviation. Furthermore the government should really start the work on some rules for strikes in the "service providing sector" like a mandatory minimum service for example.

If you have no qualifications, you have no choice about the job. If the RVA/ONEM tells you to get that job and you get it, you have to keep at it. We're talking about manual work here, it's not a flight attendant job where you do it out of passion. I don't think that it's anyone's dream to go break their backs and hips loading luggage in cold, hot weather, under rain or snow.

[sean1982]

Choice or not, it's a disgrace to hold thousands of people hostage. A minimum service should be provided.
Or allow at least airlines to set up emergency procedures.

In my company, you go on strike, you will have lost your job before you can say: "I'm sorry"

[9vsmu]

Choice or not, it's a disgrace to hold thousands of people hostage. A minimum service should be provided.
Or allow at least airlines to set up emergency procedures.

In my company, you go on strike, you will have lost your job before you can say: "I'm sorry"

Don't worry, there are plenty of vacancies in aviation, but there might be a few downsides.....

[Pocahontas]

In my company, you go on strike, you will have lost your job before you can say: "I'm sorry"

Reading you post your management has carte blanche then? "Simon says"-style

[sean1982]

Don't worry, I'm not so stupid to let union propaganda corrupt me. My mind is a bit further along then 1910

Pocahontas, not really. Every year we have a worker committee -management meeting where T&C's are negociated, which this year resulted in the prolonging of the cabin crew schedules and a pay raise.

[sn26567]

The two Freebird planes operating for JetairFly to Turkey will arrive and depart from Liège today. The two Tailwing flights operating for Thomas Cook Airlines Belgium will arrive and depart from Liège today.

Jetair and Thomas Cook organise (separately) the transfer to Liège by coach.

Since Lufthansa is again cancelling its flights, Thomas Cook will also transfer its long-haul passengers by coach to/from Frankfurt.

(Note: the other JetairFly and Thomas Cook flights are handled by AviaPartner)

[AirOpinion]

It makes my blood boil if I read statements form the head of the union that say:"We will not except that companies would service their own airplanes as an emergency solution, as that would be a "breaking" of the strike"

Just for info since there is no room for discussion with you...

Offcourse this is propaganda... But are you not able to look through that?

But did you know that the bcaa does not allow self-handling unless in special occasions (like today). I saw a picture of passengers unloading an airbus while standing behind its (probably still hot) engines... Where is safety then?

Since you apperently are a cabin crew... Well then if you go on daystop to let's say Berlin which is kind of the same as a split shift. You probably get a 4 star hotel room during the day because you've got something like legal rest. Well this legal rest does not really exist with handlers. With all my respect but you are on a trone my friend... With all these rest and duty regulations protecting it.

[flightlover]

Don't worry, I'm not so stupid to let union propaganda corrupt me. My mind is a bit further along then 1910

Pocahontas, not really. Every year we have a worker committee -management meeting where T&C's are negociated, which this year resulted in the prolonging of the cabin crew schedules and a pay raise.

Well good for you and your co-workers. You have to be more flexible AND get a better wage for it. In Belgian aviation they only ask for more flexibility but you don't get rewarded for it.

And once more for those wanting to fly cheaply: There is no thing like a free lunch. If people only want to fly as cheap as they can, something has got to give. And no it's not the profit of airlines but mostly working conditions for the people who have to get that plane safely to the other end. Be it by loading it properly or bringing people safely to their destination.

Or should we save on safety?

[Inquirer]

All these issues are being caused by monetary policy. Back in the days we used to print fresh money when the governments needed it, nowadays printing money is taboo and everything has to be covered through loans. How can you finance growth with a restricted volume of money? You simply can't and this will be taught in history books as one of the largest political failures in history.

You're mixing up 2 very different concepts which may seemingly do identical things at first glance (i.e. expand the monetary basis), so no wonder you have an overly naive look at how monetary supply works: take it from an ex-assistant in economics at university.

Now, back to topic:
my flight from BRU yesterday didn't seem to have been hindered much by the stike: I suppose most airlines have found ways to work around it by now? My flight left with just a few minutes delay (don't even know if it was due to the strike) and although I only had hand luggage with me, I noticed people from my flight picking up their luggage from the belt upon arrival.