SN pilots on strike: 30 april 2009 [called off]

[dna]

Brussels Airlines pilots to strike from Thursday April 30 until further notice, Belga has just reported.

[TCAS_climb]

Belgian Cockpit Association (BeCA) says Brussels Airlines pilots will be on strike on the 30th of April for an unknown duration.

BeCA justifies the strike because:
- pilots of 55 year old or more will be laid off
- crew rest times will be reduced
- freeze of wages


(oops, just realized somebody else posted similar information almost simultaneously)

[airbuske]

There is a freeze of wages for everyone so do we have to stike also?
I'm working as Passenger service Agent for Brussels Airlines.

[speedbird1]

Ok, so nothing on the Brussels Airlines website and the ground staff have no idea that anything's happening. Can someone on here from BruAir shed anymore light on this one, before the rumour mill really kicks off.

Ems

[airbuske]

Here we have an confirmation : http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/942/Economie/a ... -uur.dhtml

[tolipanebas]

It's a social action called for by the unions of cockpit crew, but you're definitely welcome to join if you feel like it, it is your company too you know...

We're not against any costsavings and we do understand the challenging economic situation worldwide from which SN definitely is not apart, but we do not want to see this latest cost savings project be put in place unilaterally because it is simply ridiculous both in its scale (10M on wages in 7 months), its targets (half the cost saving needs to come from category of staff: i.e. flight crew) and its aim (to still reach breakeven in 2009).

The size and urge our management have in implementing their latest cost saving plan is given in by the fact our shareholders have negotiated with LH a sale price which is performance dependant (last 2 fiscal years will be taken into account, thus meaning 2009 and 2010) and have now come to realise that the economic downturn is about to eat up whatever they thought to get from LH. As such we have a strong feeling they have started panicing and want to cut and shrink this airline back into profitability before the end of this year and for that they want all staff to 'make a considerable effort' so they can walk away with as much money as possible in early 2011...Well excuse me, but we're not going to let them do that to us.

All measures to tackle any structural losses have our full support, but any measure to cope with the cyclic losses we're enduring right now have to be carefully looked at before they are implemented so as to make sure they benefit the company long term and not our shareholders who are about to walk away from us and want to do so with as much money as possible.

Unilateral measures like the ones management have recently enforced without consultation and in disrespect of collective labour agreements are definitely out of the question and need to be revoked asap. Management can not pretent to be willing to have negotiations about things it has already implemented (salary freeze for instance)!

Full respect of collective labour agreements and the need to negotiate first if you want to see changes made to them are 2 fundamental issues in any company: disrespecting such basic rules simply can not be tolerated in a country of law and order!

[Darjeeling]

It's a social action called for by the unions of cockpit crew, but you're definitely welcome to join if you feel like it, it is your company too you know...

We're not against any costsavings and we do understand the challenging economic situation worldwide from which SN definitely is not apart, but we do not want to see this latest cost savings project be put in place unilaterally because it is simply ridiculous both in its scale (10M on wages in 7 months), its targets (half the cost saving needs to come from category of staff: i.e. flight crew) and its aim (to still reach breakeven in 2009).

The size and urge our management have in implementing their latest cost saving plan is given in by the fact our shareholders have negotiated with LH a sale price which is performance dependant (last 2 fiscal years will be taken into account, thus meaning 2009 and 2010) and have now come to realise that the economic downturn is about to eat up whatever they thought to get from LH. As such we have a strong feeling they have started panicing and want to cut and shrink this airline back into profitability before the end of this year and for that they want all staff to 'make a considerable effort' so they can walk away with as much money as possible in early 2011...Well excuse me, but we're not going to let them do that to us.

All measures to tackle any structural losses have our full support, but any measure to cope with the cyclic losses we're enduring right now have to be carefully looked at before they are implemented so as to make sure they benefit the company long term and not our shareholders who are about to walk away from us and want to do so with as much money as possible.

Unilateral measures like the ones management have recently enforced without consultation and in disrespect of collective labour agreements are definitely out of the question and need to be revoked asap. Management can not pretent to be willing to have negotiations about things it has already implemented (salary freeze for instance)!

Full respect of collective labour agreements and the need to negotiate first if you want to see changes made to them are 2 fundamental issues in any company: disrespecting such basic rules simply can not be tolerated in a country of law and order!

200% right.

And certainly given the fact that internal audits conducted by Lufthansa have shown that flying staff is the most profitable part of the cost structure of the company. Why would they absorb alone all the efforts ???
Who lost the millions of Euros in DR Congo with the AirDC fiasco ????

[fcw]

As I passenger due to fly tomorrow, I fully understand your anger. I hope management will give in by tonight and repect your CLA's.
LX where are you to bash the pilots??

[NCB]

There is a freeze of wages for everyone so do we have to stike also?
I'm working as Passenger service Agent for Brussels Airlines.

You have to question whether their human resource management is doing the right thing for SN AND for their staff. I know that most new passengers service agents at SN get a bad part-time contract of about 75%.
All very well and nice for the airline so they can better manage their staff around rush hours, but what about the starting staff that consequently only earns 1000€ net (+ maaltijdcheques?) a month?
Not a surprise that they are constantly hiring, staff working in those conditions leave after a 6-9 month airline adventure, which means that SN needs to train new people, etc...

The same thing for pilots:

The 55+ pilots are the last people they should sack.
They've got the experience and most of them are captains, all in very high demand at all airlines.
But 55+ pilots don't like to move around, they traditionally like to stick with one airline not far from home/family, so they are jewels that normal airlines don't try to get rid of.

We can question SN's motives, but it is very obvious that SN is trying to cut expenses in the wrong department. 55+ pilots earn the most so cost the most to the airline.

I like the idea of wet-leasing to Jetair, of course it's a very nice revenue-generation, but again they're trying to do it at the staff's expense... not the right move.

Effectively, the strike tomorrow will cost more than all these cost-cutting measures would have saved.

Whenever there is cost-cutting inviolved, the first thing that jumps to the mind of most top managers is: "let's cut the staff"! What goes around comes around, because most managers at all companies think like that at the same time, you create a downwards spiral and an economic crisis.
No sincerely, you know why tey do that? Because it's the easiest thing to do.
The same managers could move their ass and renegotiate their contracts with Brussels Airport for instance, or with the handling agent.
But that's hard and difficult, so they won't do that.

I only wish for the SN staff that SN be taken over by LH very soon.

Tolipanebas, thanks for the great insight.

[teddybAIR]

Exclusive lay-off of all 55+ pilots smells suspiciously like discrimination, doesn't it? I doubt it is a valid, justifiable parameter. Just my 2c though...

[airbuske]

Tolipanebas like said before your are 200 % right.

The only things is , it will cost a lot of money to our company.
But it is maybe the only thing to make it clear.
We will get a lot of sh*t from the passengers tomorrow but what is the
difference with some passengers now?

NCB indeed we , passenger service agents , have and 75% contract and are less paid then
our colleagues at Flightcare or Aviapartner.

Why can't they register the staff in Swiss or Germany.
Wouldn't that be cost saving?

[airazurxtror]

It is said here
http://www.rtlinfo.be/rtl/news/article/ ... eudi+matin
one of the reasons of the strike is that the crew rest times are reduced in order to fly charters for Jetairfly.
Really ?

[TCAS_climb]

By calling a strike, aren't the crews and the BeCA cornering themselves into the role of the "bad guys" ? How does LH perceive it, and what will you win AND lose by going on strike ?

The reason for the strike may be sound and legitimate (thumbs up on the justification), but the method remains questionable. In a way, it's a unilateral approach that's much more aggressive and damaging than the managers' approach. A strike doesn't show the good example and, as the Sabena bankruptcy showed, never serves as a wake-up call to anyone.

There's a great book out there on "principled negotiation" techniques where they explain in very simple and convincing terms that "positional bargaining" (which is exactly what's going to happen tomorrow) is the worst approach to getting what you want. The book costs only 14 euros, maybe it would worth reading it one day.

I'm also wondering if this strike is legal (any idea ?)

[Darjeeling]

By calling a strike, aren't the crews and the BeCA cornering themselves into the role of the "bad guys" ? How does LH perceive it, and what will you win AND lose by going on strike ?

Well LH has had FOUR strikes the last 365 days and another one was narrowly avoided again in march. One CityLine pilots strike, two F/A strikes and one ground staff strike. So...

[OO-LRM]

A tolipanebas ask me once, why we would not launch a scheduled flight to Lome. I asked her why?The answer:
The hotel has a nice beach and swimming pool!!
I returned to my office and asked myself what i was doing here!
Few months later i resigned as CEO of the airline and sold my share .No regrets whatsoever!!!!!
Good luck with the strike.You guys will NEVER learn.

[Ducatibiker]

Please strike.
As passengers, we are also sick of this current management who seems to only care about cost cutting. I was in the Brussels Airlines lounge this morning and there was no food at all. What a disgrace for the Capital of Europe.

Lufthansa, please come to the rescue....Brussels Airlines frequent flyers are getting very tired of this voodoo management

[134flyer]

There's a great book out there on "principled negotiation" techniques where they explain in very simple and convincing terms that "positional bargaining" (which is exactly what's going to happen tomorrow) is the worst approach to getting what you want. The book costs only 14 euros, maybe it would worth reading it one day.

For people who are interested, the book you probably mean is "Getting to Yes" written by Fisher.

[Airbuspilot]

This brings back a lot of bad memories from back in 2001!

Same arguments, same tactics, same strong words, same bitterness...

I do understand fully how the SN pilots must feel and they are right. All I wanted to say: do not make the same mistakes we made 8 years ago!

This is not the right moment to call a strike. LH might as well be waiting for it. They do not need SN, they need the routes and what is an easier way to obtain these routes than to let the original company go bankrupt.
On top of that the Belgian governement does not need another debacle, the taxpayers are getting tired of the mess SN is in and the shareholders have been waiting to cash in ever since the beginning when they where forced to invest in SN.

Play it smart guys! We never saw it comming untill it was too late! Do not make the same mistake.

Good luck to you all. You have my support!

[carambole]

As Mr Gustin himself said, in the LUFTHANSA group Brussels Airlines is considered and i quote 'top of the pops' especially with our exeptional small loss in 2008.

[Boeing767copilot]

SN pilots will not strike on thursday!! source: the unions.