Austrian Airlines flight crew ended the 36-hour strike at 12 noon on Good Friday. According to information from the AUA, operations will be “gradually” ramped up again after hundreds of failures. The first flights from Vienna are expected to depart around 1 p.m., but delays are expected.
However, the dispute continues to smolder and staff are planning another factory meeting on April 4, which could lead to further absences. The AUA canceled a total of 400 flights on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Vienna airport was particularly affected, but also some airports in the federal states. According to the AUA, 50,000 passengers did not reach their destination as planned.
Will low-cost airlines fly instead of AUA planes in the future?
The fronts between AUA management and shipboard personnel remain hardened, despite both sides’ willingness to talk. The union calls for the pay level of AUA employees to be adjusted to that of the Lufthansa Group. The company has so far shown no willingness to comply. AUA boss Annette Mann even suggested that the Lufthansa Group could serve Vienna with cheaper airlines in the future if the workforce did not scale back their demands.
Instead of holding further talks, the German side began issuing threats, Vida boss Roman Hebenstreit criticized on Friday. “That irritated us to some extent,” Hebenstreit continued. The works council will now inform employees about this, advise them on the follow-up and “also discuss their own position”. He does not rule out a new strike: “All steps” are “possible”.
“Our arms remain outstretched”
At the same time, Hebenstreit emphasized the willingness to talk to the AUA management. “Our arms remain outstretched,” the Vida boss said. “There is constant communication that appointments are possible, you just have to say when.” Hebenstreit again called for “fair and equal treatment of Austrian employees in the Lufthansa Group” in order to be accepted.
On Friday morning, the AUA board said: “We are still willing to talk at any time and would like to find an economically viable solution for the benefit of our employees as quickly as possible.” Discussions were ongoing at various levels and there has been no new negotiation date so far. It has previously been said several times that the wage increases demanded by the union were not affordable.
17 rounds of negotiations without results
The dispute over a new collective labor agreement has been going on for weeks and seventeen rounds of negotiations have taken place so far without any results. There is currently no date for further negotiations. Hundreds of flights have been canceled since negotiations began.
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.
