Luxair pilots threaten industrial action over accident report

[N1005C]

According to LUX tv station RTL, Luxair pilots voted 91.2% in favor of a strike to take place on friday 4/2, but negotiations are still to take place 3/31 and 4/1. Should the strike take place some 4,500 pax, mainly holiday makers, would be affected (Luxair). In a tv interview LG's CEO said the company's commercial department was looking for "european carriers" to operate flights for LG in order to reduce inconvenience to pax to a minimum.

[tom de luxe]

Luxair pilots will go on strike on Friday, April 2nd 2004, from 4am to 11pm, LCGB trade union and pilots' association ALPL have announced today. The pilots protest against the dismissal of six LG pilots and managers earlier this year over the Luxair F50 crash in late 2002. The official accident report was heavily criticised, as it had been last week by ALPL. "It is inadmissible to sack pilots, and make them loose their livelihood, without trial, and via the press", said Robert Weber, president of LCBG (quoted in Luxemburger Wort newspaper), estimating that 90% of pilots would participate in the strike. (BTW a new industrial agreement will be negotiated on wednesday, but Weber said that the strike had nothing to do with these negotiations.:ok: )

Luxair said the strike was "illegal" and has threatened legal action. Meanwhile, Luxembourg prime minister Juncker has invited the unions, Luxair, and government ministers to a "summit" in Luxembourg on Thursday.

Stay tuned...

[CR2]

News Details
30-MAR-04 Luxair pilots amaze their managers

The management of the Luxair has expressed amazement at the industrial action proposed by the pilots of the airline for this forthcoming Friday. Newspaper reports are confused as to whether the intended strike will last 24 hours, or only between 4.30 in the morning and 11.30 at night. Nonetheless, in negotiations yesterday, the Company denounced the action as illegal. The Pilots, for their part, accuse the organisation of a concerted campaign against their own pilots. Many employees have expressed concern that six colleagues who were recently removed from their posts following the 2002 tragedy at Niederanven, learned of their fate thru the papers, not direct form the management. The unions have threatened further concerted action, but the arbitrators and the management have said that they hope the issue can be resolved without further unpleasantness.

Link (http://www.station.lu/newsDetails.cfm?id=4349)

[Oldjet Jockey]

Have just heard on the radio that the pilots sacked after the F50 crash are to be reinstated except the Captain of the fatal flight.
The Luxemburg Prime Minister said that this was to restore confidence in Luxair. Good for the pilots but I'm not sure how this will restore confidence if they were sacked in the first place for failing in the responsibiliyies in their secondary duties (pilot plus safety officer etc.)

OJJ

[superpilut]

Ehm, because they didn't fail in their responsibilities in the first place. The Safety Officer won the courtcase for his job today plus a fine amount to compensate for moral damages.
Meaning, Luxair couldn't prove they did anything wrong.

The strike will not take place since consencus has been reached on several important issues, all under arbitrage of the Prime Minister, his minister of transport and the minister for labour.

Some of the points is that the flawed investigation in the F50 crash will most probably be re-opened and the safety system in the company be reviewed and improved.

Meaning all in all, good news for the pilots, but as well for the company, since now management is forced to take some necessary steps to ensure a safe and prosperous Luxair

[cpt spalding]

I've been told that the former FSO won his case because Luxair waited too long to take action against him. The judgement apparentely specifies that the Luxair management got information about the FSO's wrongdoing already in june 2003, but waited till january 2004 and the publication of the technical report to dismiss him. The judge says that Luxair should have done it immediately.

[CR2]

Whats the betting on the CEO's job?

[superpilut]

Guess nobody wants any money go down the drain anymore because of this guy, so no betting...:p :p