Swiss pilots and members of the Aeropers pilots association approved the historic strike on Sunday. Swiss machines are likely to be on the ground for the last weekend of October, unless Swiss CEO Dieter Vranckx (49) and Aeropers President Clemens Kopetz find a solution at the negotiating table over the weekend.
The subject of discussion is a new collective bargaining agreement (GAV). Pilots demand higher wages and better working conditions. “We’ve had it all for years. Wage cuts after grounding. Disaster management with Crossair. Corona Pandemic. Enough!” says Swiss pilot Markus G.* The family man was in the cockpit of Swissair in the 1990s, giving Blick an insight into his day-to-day business, but prefers to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation.
“I haven’t had a single free weekend since May,” says G. His work schedule often looks something like this: He goes to South America on Sunday. Return to Switzerland on Tuesday. To Asia on Thursday, back on Saturday. Then a pilot has three days off. Before the whole game restarts. “I only get paid to fly. If I prepare the flight at home, I do it for free. And if I prepare for the half-year exam in the simulator, I do it for free.”
“The whole family suffers from my work schedule”
Markus G. receives his work schedule for the next four weeks, on the 25th of the previous month. Only then can he make plans with his family and friends. “Before that it doesn’t make any sense. I’ll have to cancel 80 percent anyway.” The pilot doesn’t know about public holidays in Switzerland like Easter, August 1st or Christmas.
Even everyday things like going to a concert with your partner or being active in a sports club do not fit into the life of a Swiss pilot. “The worst thing is the distance from my family,” says G. “It’s very sad that my kids can’t go on vacation during the school holidays. The whole family suffers from my work schedule.” That goes to psychology.
“Pilot is a profession, not a job,” explains G.. Management uses it consciously. “They think we’re going to keep going anyway because we love our job.” That was the case for a long time. “We Swiss punch the sack, but we never go on strike.” German pilots in the corps have shaken up their colleagues in recent years. “And the younger generation,” says G. “They don’t anymore. They want to have a life too!”
Markus G. may lose his job every six months
Financially, Markus G. looks good at first glance with an annual salary of around CHF 200,000. “But in Switzerland you only earn this much at the end of your career,” he states. Also, pilots usually take a break between the ages of 58 and 60. “So we have a gap of five or seven years in the pension fund and a significantly lower pension.”
In addition, there is the enormous responsibility a pilot has for hundreds of passengers. “So we have to come back to the theory and practice test every six months,” he says. “We could lose our job every six months and then we’d have nothing. It’s a lot of stress.” For these reasons, Aeropers demand not only better working conditions, but also higher wages. G.: «We pilots deserve a social life. If we can only achieve that with one strike, then we have to go with that.”
*Name known to editors