Low wages, poor conditions and unsocial working patterns, the leading causes of the current staff shortages in the aviation industry Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have been saying that a lack of available staff would be an issue in the aviation sector, and finally, it has arrived. “The industry is very much reaping what it has sown”, believes ETF Civil Aviation President Oliver Richardson. News 10 May 2022
There is no place in Belgium for breaching the aviation workers’ rights The Belgian cabin crew working for the Irish low-cost airline Ryanair are on strike from today until the 24th of April, after the negotiations with Ryanair management on a new collective agreement on wages have miserably failed. News 22 Apr 2022
Once again, Wizz Air abandons their employees in Ukraine It seems to be the same old story that inevitably goes back again and again to the low-cost Hungarian carrier Wizz Air. Just this time, its actions are outrageous as they are directly linked to the war in Ukraine. News 9 Mar 2022
“They tried to destroy the union, but we won” – Wizz Air aircrew union in Ukraine declared lawful by a court Union activists who were fired after the union was created last year shared their story with us, describing the different tactics Wizz Air has used against them and why they persist. Worker's Story 21 Apr 2021
Romanian court system forces Wizz Air to give back jobs to fired pilots and cabin crew In a new union victory against Wizz Air, courts in Romania rule that Wizz Air must reinstate four pilots and ten cabin crew. Union Action 14 Apr 2021
“Now is the time to clean up the airline” – internal leak exposes Wizz Air anti-worker practices A transcript of a secret Wizz Air management meeting from 4 April 2020 which was leaked to staff has been passed to the ETF, revealing that management saw the COVID-19 crisis as the opportunity to “clean up the airline” by using discriminatory and anti-worker criteria in deciding which pilots to dismiss. Press Release 9 Apr 2021
“We won’t let Wizz Air jeopardise Norwegian working life model!” – unions protest in Norway as Wizz Air begins its operations Wizz Air is launching domestic flights in Norway today. In response, Parat’s pilot and cabin crew unions organised awareness-raising actions, with one clear message: Wizz Air must respect Norwegian law and the workers’ right to organise. Union Action 5 Nov 2020
Cabin air quality: CEN standard in sight but the battle goes on After 65 years of use of bleed air in aeroplanes, thousands of fume events and hundreds of studies, CEN is about to propose a standard for cabin air quality. News 11 Aug 2020
Aviation unions meet to discuss impacts of COVID-19 and the way forward ETF’s civil aviation Section met last week in a series of online meetings. They discussed priorities, impacts of COVID-19, as well as plans for the future. Event 25 Jun 2020
Cabin crew member speaks out about Ryanair’s dubious practices In April 2020 a cabin crew member won a case against Ryanair’s employment agency – Crewlink – in Ireland. He shared his story with us, giving us insight into the case, as well as reflecting on other Ryanair’s actions. Worker's Story 17 Jun 2020