Employees of Cargolux, a cargo airline based in Luxembourg, are set to go on strike due to a breakdown in negotiations for a new collective agreement. The unions LCGB and OGBL have declared non-conciliation, paving the way for union action. The strike was announced to commence on Thursday.
The dispute arises from failed negotiations, with the majority union LCGB and OGBL rejecting Cargolux’s latest proposal for a collective agreement. The main points of contention include an “insufficient” proposed salary increase of 4% over four years, which the unions argue does not align with the company’s recent strong financial performance and rising inflation.
Additionally, Cargolux’s management has refused to include a guarantee against inflation in the collective agreement, which would ensure equal treatment of employees in case of changes in salary indexation laws. Management is also unwilling to negotiate a new salary scale for ground staff, despite a prior agreement on the matter in the last collective agreement. Concerns about teleworking regulations, seen as a “deterioration” of legal provisions regarding co-decision, have further exacerbated the dispute.
The strike action follows 27 negotiation meetings and five meetings at the National Conciliation Office (ONC) without reaching an agreement between Cargolux’s management and the unions. The unions have expressed their dissatisfaction with the current state of negotiations and are proceeding with the strike action in response.
Source: L’Essentiel