What a feeling when, somewhere in the world, a tail fin with a Swiss cross is waiting at the airport! Swiss means home, quality, excellent service – thanks to professional, friendly and reliable staff.
And now you, dear pilots, suddenly want to go on strike? What were you thinking?
You say it’s about work-life balance and taking care of the kids. Sounds nice, but why do you need another 10 percent of the money? You’re talking about “inflation compensation”. But that’s 3 percent!
End of your salary ladder – 211,000 francs a year plus bonus. Swiss pays full PK dues. And you can privately travel the world with your family for virtually no cost.
You have turned your passion into a profession, sit proudly in the cockpit in your chic uniform, get a first class menu and pilot your plane to Bilbao, Beirut or Bangkok. In short: you have decided on this sophisticated lifestyle – and now you complain about the incompatibility of work and family?
What should a female police officer say who is on duty at night and weekends, often called on an emergency basis, and sometimes has to collect body parts? Or an orderly who has to deal with disease, death and suffering – and how does a female police officer earn part of your salary?
Well, you have a big responsibility for your passengers. But so does the driver of the mail bus, who drives his car along winding mountain roads. He doesn’t even have a co-pilot. In winter, he also has to install snow chains.
If they wanted to argue like you do, then the policeman, the orderly, the mail bus driver would have to immediately go on strike. And doesn’t everyone have something to complain about in their job? Is this a reason to strike?
Only you, dear Swiss pilots, are so alienated that 94 percent of you authorized the union to go on strike.
You have alternatives. You can switch to Easyjet. The salary there is the same, and the deployment schedule is known a year in advance. But you just fly to the same European cities over and over again. Or you are traveling to Emirates, which requires a move to Dubai. Every job has its pros and cons.
Dear pilots, cancel the strike. Otherwise, you will harm not only Switzerland, but also Switzerland, which enjoys a reputation as a stable country.
Please be loyal to your passengers who spend a lot of money to fly with you. And to the taxpayers, without whom you would no longer have a job: after the closure of Swissair, you financed the launch of Swiss. Do not forget about the state bank loan in difficult times of the pandemic…
Think about it when you enjoy the view high above the clouds. You are the last one with a reason to strike!