The Aeropers union wants more pay and more freedom for pilots. The new collective bargaining agreement (GAV) will cost an additional 200 million francs. Too much is a good thing, the Swiss think. Now is the time for reckoning: Dieter Vranckx, CEO of Switzerland, and Clemens Kopetz, President of Aeropers, meet today, Saturday and Sunday for negotiations. If there is no solution, a historic strike is imminent. The pilots approved this measure in a vote a week ago.
Before the top meeting, both sides are covered. Aeropers say they are still interested in a peaceful solution. Switzerland, on request, writes: “We are confident that we will reach a solution at the negotiating table.”
Switzerland has a Plan B
But a quick deal doesn’t seem realistic, the two sides are too far apart. And the threat of a strike is unlikely to force Switzerland to make major concessions. In airline circles, people like to refer to the example of Eurowings these days.
Pilots launched a strike there earlier in the week and canceled numerous flights. As a result, Eurowings pulled out the red pencil: in addition to creating planned jobs in the cockpit and cabin, it stopped promotion to captain, reduced the fleet and penalized pilots in training with short-term contracts.
Lufthansa’s subsidiary Swiss is prepared in the event of a strike. There should be a plan B in the drawer. Only Vranckx and Aeropers President Kopetz can prevent the conflict from escalating over the weekend.