A few weeks after the LOT Polish Airlines staff walkout, European travellers will face another challenge, this time in Belgium. Having not found an agreement with the management over wages, worker unions of the flag carrier Brussels Airlines have scheduled a strike on May 14 and 16, 2018.
Having submitted new wage proposals, airline management hit a wall after 80% of the union comprised of pilots, flight attendants and other staff members rejected the deal. Staff is also fighting for the option of earlier retirement and are complaining about work schedules which are acceptable just by 8% of airlines’ employees.
Airline representatives issued a statement informing that the staff demands are “impossible” to satisfy. It is expected that these pre-planned Brussels Airlines’ strikes will cause multiple flights delays and cancellations for those travelling to and from Belgium as well as those with flying with a layover.
“If you’re not blind to the problem, it is obvious that the number as well as frequency of the airline employee strikes is increasing rapidly. With aviation on a constant growing trend, workers feel that the companies might be not sharing the slices of the pie evenly and it is their natural reaction,” comments Marius Stonkus, the CEO of flight compensation company Skycop. “However, as the debate continues, passengers are left stranded facing cancelled and delayed flights. It seems like spreading the word about flight compensation is now more important than ever.”
Flight compensation in Europe is outlined in the EC 261/2004 regulation, which obliges airlines to pay out up to €600 for delayed, cancelled or overbooked flights. However, pre-planned and agree-upon employee strikes are not being compensated yet. This is why Skycop is trying to initiate an alteration to the law.
The claim company is urging those, who have ever experienced cancelled or delayed flight due to airline staff strikes, to join in on it here.
Source – AeroTime
