The ETF is deeply concerned about reports that the German national football team will be using the Lithuanian carrier, KlasJet, for its travel during the UEFA Euro 2020 football tournament. Germany will be the second national team to use this company which has advertised cabin crew jobs operating on this “VIP” carrier with salaries as low as €540 per month.
The work in these types of carriers is notoriously difficult with rapidly changeable schedules and low standards of work. More concretely, KlasJet and other similar carriers are using social dumping to undercut the costs and standards of mainline carriers in Germany and other countries.
Speaking on these carriers, ETF General Secretary Livia Spera outlined her concern with the growing trend of national football teams outsourcing this work.
“Social dumping is a plague against decent work in the aviation sector, and by using companies who are profiting from it, national football teams in Europe are becoming complicit. We call on national football associations, teams, and players to stand up and fight against these social dumping practices. There are millions of aviation workers who will support you during the Euro, and we need you to support them.”
Traditionally, football teams have used national carriers to fly to major sporting events such as international football tournaments and the Olympics. This was an opportunity to promote those carriers who support decent work and decent standards. Instead, we see the undercutting of decent work in the sector by carriers such as Klasjet who profit from social dumping through low wages and lower standards. As representatives of Germany, the German football team must not be complicit in these practices and must stand up for decent working standards and the end of social dumping in the aviation sector.
