March 8 strike at Croatia Airlines

Unhappy unions plan flight disruptions
Four Croatia Airlines unions will go on strike next Thursday, March 8, if their demands for a revised collective agreement are not met. The four trade unions count approximately 650 employees. They have put up ten demands to the airline’s management. If their demands were to be met, Croatia Airlines will have to fork out an additional 2.3 million euros in 2012 and a further 3 million euros in 2013. The additional costs would offset the carrier’s plans to further cut down on its losses. The airline finished 2011 with a loss of 10 million euros, which is down 52% on 2010.

There has been growing discontent amongst Croatia Airlines’ pilots who are unhappy with work conditions and what it sees as incompetent management. Their hundred page revival plan for the company was struck down by the management earlier in the year. Things were made worse when a daily newspaper published an article claiming that Croatia Airlines’ pilots are overpaid and work the least in Europe, an article the pilots believe was planted by the management. It came after pilots told the media that the carrier’s Dash 8s are unsafe and experience constant technical faults. Besides the pilots, cabin crew are also unhappy with their work conditions. Only the airline’s technicians and engineers have managed to come to an agreement with the management.

Croatia Airlines claims that if the strike action goes ahead on March 8 it will cost the carrier 200.000 euros and disrupt flights and passengers. Meanwhile, the Croatian government yesterday formally awarded Aéroports de Paris the concession over Zagreb Airport, much to the discontent of the airport’s unions.

Comments

  1. Pilots claim that Dash 8s are experiencing too many tech problems and NOT that the aircraft is unsafe.

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  2. Anonymous09:07

    Is it just me or are these trade unions really strong in Croatia?

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  3. Anonymous09:39

    they are overpain and working way to less as they shuld, just like Adria pilots. To high salary for the company with big minus on acound. They shuld understand if someone doesent have money eaven they can not get it. But, they are playing goods and they dont care if CA goes underground. They will find new company to work for, but what about other workers who are dependend on CA? They dont care

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  4. Anonymous10:16

    CA should agree with Adria Airways to cover for flights that would be dropped off due to the strike. Unions to compensate for the loss caused.

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  5. @ AnonymousMar 1, 2012 12:39 AM
    You should be ashamed.
    Adria's employees agreed to new collective which has the same working hours as every other airline company in the europe whith salaries which can not be compared even with Albanian pilots.
    Salaries for all company are less than 15% of outcomes, this is not seen in any airline company.

    I do not know how much Croatian pilots are working but I know how much Adria's are.
    They have limitations as every other pilots in EU
    BUT
    if airline does not have flights to fly, how can they work on limitations than???
    So Adria's all employees can work for NOTHING and there would still be a 'big minus on acound', a loss.

    So if you have any dignity, you will correct your statement.

    And about the annonymous before me, I think Adria or any other airline should cover the flights.
    Airlines (and other companies) have to get the point that they have human beings for employees not robots.

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    Replies
    1. If Adria's or Croatia's employees are not happy with the work requirements and conditions, let them find a job somewhere else where they can be paid more. Maybe Ryanair or EasyJet will offer them more. It's a freedom of choice. You don't like something - you are free to go. Asking for higher wages from an airline that's already having big losses is absurd. Time to get rid of the old communist mentality, when people made money and did nothing. If we were so productive in ex YU we wouldn't be where we are now. You all union supporters shut up and go back to work.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous11:15

    Maybe they have just decided to celebrate the Day of Women :)

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  7. Anonymous11:23

    What do we all learn out of this ?
    Never ever work for an airline company !
    And especially not as a pilot !

    As more you work the less money you earn...
    people spit on you !

    Passengers and airline management together
    arms in arms against the employees !

    Do you all know a joke :
    "The employees should be happy to have a job !
    No it is not enough for them !
    They now even want to get money for it !"

    The passengers or airline managers should fly the planes themselves !
    That would save them some money ?

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  8. Anonymous12:09

    Does anyone know what the estimated loss will be?

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  9. Doot12:18

    Croatia Airlines needs 650 employees??!!

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  10. Anonymous14:57

    I hope they get fired!

    Either show up and do your job, or quit and find a "better" job elsewhere if you are so unhappy! I'm so fed up with unions in the airline industry.

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    Replies
    1. The majority of work force in ex YU, especially those who work in the public sector and having government jobs are lazy bunch of bureaucrats completely incompetent and corrupted with some kind of a self-entitlement that they can demand anything they want. Sooner or later most of the companies will be privatized and those who don't will demise. Can't wait that moment to see those lazy asses flying out of their positions and being replaced with someone who actually does their work.

      Delete
  11. Anonymous16:26

    But what I fail to understand is, why are there so many strikes in OU and not in JP, JU or YM...

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  12. Anonymous16:56

    The Pilots are NOT looking for more money, Where the F:::: did you read that they want more ????
    The main reason of disagreement is that the management is looking to save by decreasing pilot rest time.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous19:41

      Resting from what???? Sitting on an airplane for max 2 hrs a flight segment. Give me a break. Those pilots act as they are flying 747 non-stop to Australia and not a Dash 8 to Sarajevo. As Sam mentioned, if they don't like it, let them find a better employer who is willing to pay them more.

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    2. Anonymous22:04

      Less work, same pay.
      Therefore: YES, they are demanding more money.

      Delete
    3. Actually,

      The shorter flights results in a dramatic increase in pilot work load, they have to do more in a shorter amount of time. When weather or some other factor may disrupt the 'norm' of the flight this again requires the pilots to work harder to get the aircraft safely to its destination.
      I can see you have never flown an aircraft especially one in IFR conditions or on a short flight in very busy airspace so you most probably are I’ll equipped to comment on this. All your senses are required and the amount of energy you actually use is quite surprising. It’s not uncommon to see a pilot finish a high work load short flight literally covered in sweat on a cool day!

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    4. Totally agree, 99% people here have never flown and airplane in VFR whatever in IFR.

      And comparing B747 to a DH8 :S

      with B747 you take off, autopilot on for 11 hours you make one landing per day
      and you are paid 11 hours out of lets say 13 hour of duty
      in DH8 you make 6 landings per day in 13 hours of duty and you are paid 7 if there are long flights.
      Same in Adria with CRJ2/9.

      And after all that, you have a rest period of how much?
      I have never seen longhaul crews resting just for 12hours or so, they were always a few days at their destination.

      Delete
  13. Anonymous22:29

    Glad to see people here for once talking and arguing about aviation and economics and not politics :)

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  14. Purger23:51

    U Zagrebu, 29. veljače 2012.


    NAJAVA ŠTRAJKA UPOZORENJA KOORDINACIJE SINDIKATA CROATIA AIRLINESA


    Slijedom neuspješnog kolektivnog pregovaranja i odbijanja poslodavca da prihvati ponuđeni prijedlog Kolektivnog ugovora te nakon neuspjelog pokušaja postupka mirenja, temeljem članka 269. Zakona u radu, Koordinacija sindikata Croatia Airlinesa stupit će u Štrajk upozorenja u četvrtak, 8. ožujka 2012. godine u 06:00 sati. Štrajk upozorenja potrajat će do petka, 9. ožujka 2012. godine do 06:00 sati ili do odluke štrajkaškog odbora o prestanku štrajka.

    Na ovaj korak Koordinacija sindikata Croatia Airlinesa odlučila se nakon niza neuspjelih pokušaja da s aktualnom upravom tvrtke pronađe zajedničko rješenje za spas hrvatske nacionalne zrakoplovne kompanije. Štrajkom želimo upozoriti i na katastrofalno stanje u tvrtci čiji su dugovi s 31. prosinca 2011. godine premašili milijardu kuna i ukupni temeljni kapital kompanije!

    Koordinacija sindikata predočila je Upravi tvrtke minimalne zahtjeve koji se odnose na zadržavanje postojećih prava reguliranih kolektivnim ugovorom, ukidanje odluka koje utječu na sigurnost letova i odustajanja od zapošljavanja preko vanjskih agencija što je samo još jedan pokušaj izigravanja radnika tvrtke. Sindikati Croatia Airlinesa spremni su razgovarati o određenim odricanjima kada se promijeni način poslovanja kompanije, što sa postojećom upravom nije moguće.

    Aktualni glavni direktor Srećko Šimunović u tvrtki je od 2002. godine, prvo kao direktor marketinga, zatim izvršni direktor za marketing i mrežu, a na dužnost glavnog direktora došao je s mjesta izvršnog direktora za marketing i nabavu.
    To je čovjek kojeg je u tvrtku dovela i za glavnog direktora potvrdila garnitura ljudi na čelu s Miomirom Žužulom i bivšim glavnim direktorom Ivanom Mišetićem, koji je Croatia Airlines doveo u situaciju u kojoj se nalazi.

    Upravi Croatia Airlines svi su krivi osim njih samih. Krivi su im zaposlenici jer se žale na loše upravljanje tvrtkom, krivi su piloti jer žele letjeti u sigurnim uvjetima, kriva je Vlada RH.

    Glavni direktor neviđenom medijskom kampanjom pokušava uvjeriti da je on "svetac", a radnici glavni razlog propasti kompanije. Činjenicama smo demantirali sve njegove kvazi-navode, laži, zlobne interpretacije i izvrtanje činjenica. Sva ta kampanja klasičan je spin, i jasno naglašavamo da je gotovo sve izneseno od strane uprave neistinito, te isto u potpunosti demantiramo.

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  15. Purger23:54

    Troškovi radne snage u Croatia Airlinesu (prema Preliminarnim i konsolidiranim i odvojenim izvještajima Croatia Airlines za razdoblje siječanj-prosinac i IV Q 2011.) iznose svega 14,85 posto u odnosu na troškove poslovanja grupe odnosno tek 13,55 posto u odnosu na ukupne rashode u 2011. godini. Usporedbe radi, prosjek troškova radne snage u odnosu na ukupne troškove poslovanja na europskoj razini iznosi 25 posto i Croatia Airlines je po tom pitanju daleko ispod svoje konkurencije

    Croatia Airlines u zimskoj sezoni dnevno ostvaruje i do 140.000 (!) eura gubitaka, na avione se upisuju hipoteke vjerovnika, letovi se otkazuju jer su zbog nerazumne politike cijena slabo popunjeni, odbijaju se potencijalne poslovne suradnje, red letenja pogoduje isključivo Lufthansi, a cijene karata za neke naše letove druge kompanije prodaju jeftinije od nas.

    Trenutna uprava imala je punu potporu radnika u pokušaju da spasi kompaniju, međutim, ništa se ključno u poslovanju nije promijenilo. Gubici se i dalje gomilaju, a bilanca se popravlja kreativnim knjigovodstvom, odnosno dok se ne osigura još jedan mandat za izvlačenje novca od Vlade RH.
    Uprava opravdava svoje "dobro poslovanje" smanjenim gubicima. Da je ovaj “smanjeni” gubitak prvi nakon niza uspješnih godina, bio bi katastrofalan i doveo bi u pitanje egzistenciju tvrtke. Dodamo li tome da je ovom gubitku prethodilo više godina enormnih gubitaka, koji su se akumulirali u preko milijardu kuna gubitka, (više od temeljnog kapitala tvrtke) stanje je više nego alarmantno.

    Slikovito gledano, to je kao da liječnik jednog grada od 20.000 stanovnika kaže "prošle godine mi je umrlo 10.000 pacijenata, no stanje ide nabolje jer mi je ove godine umrlo samo 5.000". Koga će “liječiti” za godinu-dvije?

    Stanje u Croatia Airlinesu je takvo da je upitno preživljavanje kompanije nakon ljeta.

    Već ranije upozoravali smo i postojeću upravu i vlasnike na probleme u poslovanju, potencijalno sumnjive poslovne odluke i moguća potkradanja kompanije, prije svega u sektoru nabave i opskrbi gorivom . Probleme smo iznijeli pred tadašnju predsjednicu Vlade i nadležne ministre, pred predsjednika Republike i pojedine članove aktualne Vlade, kao i pred nadzorni odbor i pojedine saborske zastupnike, ali pomaka nije bilo.

    Zato još jednom pozivamo Vladu RH da uvede kriznu upravu u Croatia Airlines. Ponovno pozivamo i Uskok, Carinu, i Državno odvjetništvo da istraže sumnje u nesavjesno poslovanje i potencijalni kriminal na koji smo više puta javno upozoravali.

    Ujedno se ispričavamo svim putnicima koji bi zbog štrajka upozorenja mogli imati bilo kakve neugodnosti i molimo ih za razumijevanje jer ukoliko ne poduzmemo nešto DANAS kompanije s kojom lete više neće biti.

    Koordinacija sindikata Croatia Airlinesa i dalje će koristiti sve industrijske akcije koje joj stoje na raspolaganju u pokušaju sprječavanja uništavanja naše nacionalne zrakoplovne kompanije.

    link za sve materijale Koordinacije sindikata: http://db.tt/lsj67GWY

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  16. Personally,

    I would like to see people in the region being paid more not less and in all industries not just aviation. What I don't understand is how OU can be in such a financial position where pay cuts are on the agenda. Money is being siphoned from this company for sure.

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  17. I just read the post by Purger (and this is nothing personal) but seems to me that the Unions here again are way out of touch of today’s business reality. If this is how they negotiate with the OU management then I do not blame OU for not taking them seriously and I would urge OU employers to seek new collective representation in the future.

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  18. Anonymous04:27

    No more communism this is what you get when you wanna be part of EU. Capitalism is healthy. Only the fittest survive like it or not.

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  19. frequentflyer05:13

    Can anyone provide a link to this '100-page plan' I'd love to have a read of these claims and demands!

    OU (in fact, many companies and people in the entire country) needs to move out of its socialistic-operational mindset to survive in a capitalistic EU, or they will go under. And so must end the corruption, siphoning and dodgy deals. Otherwise the country will end up in even more a basketcase situation.

    A comparison of staff to aircraft ratio would prove interesting: does OU match up with the world's best? Or even Europe's best? Or is it like AI or MH which have overly inflated numbers, which contribute to their systemic losses??

    ReplyDelete

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