The strike by AUA management staff is now becoming fatal for thousands of passengers in the middle of the Easter travel season: 400 flights are canceled on Thursday and Friday.
“We do not want to strike, the AUA is driving us to industrial action,” Vida unionist Daniel Liebhart emphasized on ORF radio on Tuesday. The union wants a salary agreement above inflation, the AUA’s offer of a maximum of 18 percent salary increase for flight attendants and pilots and a maximum of 28 percent for copilots is valid for two years and consists of unsustainable one-off payments, the employee representative emphasizes.
The AUA, on the other hand, insists on offering full salary compensation plus something on top for two years, with the success bonus offered, as the name suggests, dependent on good balance sheet figures in the coming years.
Lufthansa subsidiary AUA is on the rise
For guidance: in the current spring wage round for approximately 130,000 industrial employees, the basis for negotiations is the past annual inflation (February 2023 to February 2024) of 6.8 percent. The Lufthansa subsidiary AUA is now doing well economically again after very difficult years.
We can look back on a “very positive year” in terms of key figures in 2023, AUA board member Michael Trestl said in January this year. According to the latest published company figures (3rd quarter 2023), there has been a significant increase: turnover in the third quarter increased by eight percent to 741 million euros compared to the same period last year and the operating result (EBIT) increased by 17 percent to 129 million euros.
52,000 passengers affected
The AUA had already pointed out on Monday that a 36-hour strike between Maundy Thursday from midnight and Good Friday until noon would affect 430 flights carrying 52,000 passengers. According to the airline, the financial damage would amount to around 15 million euros. The AUA is offering affected customers a one-time, free rebooking or cancellation of their flight.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
