Croatia Airlines staff will go on strike next Monday, July 9, from 06.00 CEST after year-long talks with the company's management over a new collective bargaining agreement failed. The union representing the carrier's pilots, cabin crew and mechanics, ORCA, noted that all of the company's departments will be observing the industrial action. The Croatian government has previously said that the airline would be unable to recover from a strike during the busy summer season, when it handles the bulk of its traffic and records its highest revenue intake. "Those that are planning to go on strike should know it is a very bad move. We are in the middle of the tourist season and Croatia Airlines is registering 9% passenger growth compared to last year. I don't know how the company would recover from industrial action. It won't", the Croatian Minister for Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, Oleg Butković, said earlier.
The strike will last until the union's demands are met or it decides to end its industrial action. ORCA noted, "After a year and a half, we have exhausted all possibilities for a deal to be reached since we do not have a serious partner to talk to. All conditions have been met for industrial action to take place". It added, "Years of bad decision-making and the stubborn refusal to accept any facts or constructive criticism has led the company into a managerial crisis where flights cannot be performed by our own aircraft and crew". The ORCA union is requesting a wage increase for flight crew between 20% to 30%, as well as an annual salary boost of 4% for pilots over the duration of the new collective agreement. The union has also asked for extended holiday leave and for seasonal cabin crew to be given fixed contracts after years of service for the airline.
Croatia Airlines' management has made some concessions to the union but has proposed for the extension of the existing collective agreement until the end of the year so a new one could be negotiated after the peak summer months. It claims that if ORCA's demands were to be met, it would set the company back some 4.3 million euros. The planned industrial action will be the first in five years at the airline. In May 2013, unions staged an eight-day walkout, paralysing the carrier and its operations. It ended with the signing of a new collective agreement which expired nineteen months ago. Croatia Airlines recorded a net loss of 11.4 million euros during the first quarter but expects to end the year in the black. The carrier will seek a privatisation consultant in the coming weeks after the government decided to sell the company.
wow such a senseless decision.
ReplyDeleteAgree. I hope employees will come to their senses.
DeleteIt depends which angle you take. From the employees' angle it is a wise decision - they have certain rights and they are not willing to give them away just because there are others who would. Rights are never given, they are taken and fought for. Those who don't fight end up living on 1$ per day. That's the way it is.
DeleteNow, from the angle of a fanboy who wants to se big and improved numbers month after month (so that he could parade them on forums and blogs), the decision is senseless, selfish and greedy. That very same fanboy would of course make the very same decision if he was a union member and some of his rights were threatened.
Same applies on some poor lad who works for $20 a day and has no rights, no benefits, and no union to protect him. He would have no reason to wish for anything other than seeing the OU staff's living standard reduced to the same (bottom)level where his own standard is.
All three angles are legitimate. But it's only the first one that counts.
Well said!
DeleteSenseless? In the middle of the season, that's how it's done! Full support to the Union of OU from Dubrovnik!
DeleteStrajk!
DeleteNego sta nego strajk!
Pa tko prije pukne.
Nesposobno ministarstvo koje ne radi apsolutno ništa, ovo je pravi potez sindikata OU u pravo vrijeme!
DeleteFull support to unions on their way to non-relevance! Finally we'll get rid of Croatia Airlines.
DeleteManagement and government have full 5 days to accept demands. That is enough time to avoid chaos and damage.
DeleteSure they will. Like they have for the last year. Your grand delusion of importance will disappear once you go to pick unemployment support. And it will not last for long.
DeleteAnd what do the unions think, where will the extra money come from?
DeleteAnon 9:28
DeleteIt will come from the airline. If the airline ends up in red because of that, it will ask its owner - the state - for help. This is perfectly normal and logical process.
Except that Croatia is now in EU and has to bow to the European Commission when they say the state must not help the businesses it owns, and must let them die instead.
You win some, you lose some. Or, as people in this part of the world wisely put it:
"To je nama nasa borba dala".
Hvala ti Bože na Europskoj Uniji.
DeleteJuly 4, 2018 at 9:31 AM
DeleteSays the keyboard warrior.
Announcement of an industrial action is last call for the state to get to their senses and do something with the company. As far as I know the state of the affairs in that company is realy at the bottom.
DeleteI hope the state will do only sensible thing and give up on trying to keep OU operational.
DeleteButkovic is complaining but what has he done to stop the strike? More than a month ago he said they would get rid of the current management that week. Still nothing.
ReplyDelete+1
Delete+1
DeleteThose blackmailers should be given court orders to perform their duties, otherwise put them in jail. That is clear case of SABOTAGE!
DeleteBlackmailers?
DeleteThey wait for 20 months for collective contract.
Government can not decide about CEO for 2 years.
They cancel strike for one year.
They gave Minister 4 months time without any word in public
Than again he asks for 4 more months. And they gave him that. With not a word in public.
How is that blackmail? In my book it is patient, not a blackmail.
"Those blackmailers should be given court orders to perform their duties..."
DeleteOne could say the same for the Minister of transportation!
Government is doing all in their powers to run the state. One company can't be a priority over every other. Especially when employees in that company receive the highest salaries in the public sector. And by far the largest!
DeleteAnon 9:51, are you kidding? People are running away from Croatia as fast as they can!
DeleteThey could not pick a worse time.
ReplyDeleteIt will have maximum effect.
DeleteThey have been more than patient far too long.
DeleteSome people obviously never heard of strikes before! Support for the union!
DeleteGo, have a strike. Soon you will be looking for another job. Good luck!
DeleteMost of these people will be able to find better paid jobs but unfortunately not in their country.
DeleteThat is good! Benefit to all. Happy days!
Deletethey picked the best time. There will be no other time in a year time, as Croatia is on its way to doomsday
DeleteOU is already dead ... just nobody told them so.
DeleteAny information how many flights will be cancelled and which ones?
ReplyDeleteI hope they manage to avoid a strike like last year.
ReplyDeleteI doubt it. Last time they were duped in cancelling it under the false promise they would negotiate new contracts after the summer.
DeleteWorkers have been patient. No more concessions. Because they were like that in the past, that's why the government is acting the way it is now.
DeleteTerrible.
ReplyDeleteIt's the only way they can force the government to listen.
DeleteSure it will ... your destiny has already been made. And you play just to the tune.
DeleteCould this affect Zagreb figures? Hope not.
ReplyDeleteOf course it could. Depends on how many flights are cancelled.
DeleteYes of course, even of BA cancels flights to ZAG their numbers will be affected not yet OU with market share of 60 percent at ZAG.
DeleteDemise of the Croatia Airlines can only bring good to ZAG. Finally they will open to other carriers and stop protecting failing OU.
DeleteI don't think ZAG is protecting Croatia Airlines. The market is open. Anyone can fly if they wish.
DeleteSure thing. Wake up from that rosy dream please.
Delete@AnonymousJuly 4, 2018 at 11:10 AM
DeleteStop trolling!!!
Zagreb is open to any EU carrier. OU isn't protected like Air Serbia is at Belgrade.
OU owns few platform positions and has technical facility at Zagreb airport, so the costs aren't as high for them.
ZAG concession agreement is directly related to OU so please do not spread fake news! OU is protected compared to other carriers operating in Croatia. Period.
DeleteThe only way to avoid the strike is for the government to name a new CEO.
ReplyDeleteHow hard is that? Why are they prolonging it?
DeleteCrazy decision in summer.
ReplyDeleteReally? When should they strike, in February?
DeleteWhen passengers won't be affected.
DeleteAnd how would they achieve their goals?
DeleteHow about by keeping their mouth shut and working what they're supposed to do? If they don't like it they can always find another company to work for.
Delete"How about by keeping their mouth shut and working what they're supposed to do?"
DeleteIs this how you'd do it, Anon 9:23? Shame on you!
That is capitalism my dear Watson. You don't like it? North Korea awaits for you.
DeleteCroatia Airlines is public company, not private one. They have obligation to say if something is not right.
DeleteCroatia Airlines employees are best paid employees among all public companies in Croatia. They need to show some restraint in asking for more money when the most of the society collects empty bottles to survive!!!
Delete"...They have obligation to say if something is not right."
DeleteHuh?!
Or they can leave Croatia like 1/3 of their colleagues did and than Minister and Bajić will fly planes and service them.
DeleteWho's stopping them? Or perhaps they can't get such salaries and benefits elsewhere? Perhaps they would have lower quality of life when all is taken into account?
DeleteOr perhaps they are not good enough to go elsewhere?
DeleteOne thing is for certain. This will be their last strike. I drink to that!
ReplyDeleteWhat are you drinking?
DeleteI drink champagne as usual. This morning it has even sweeter taste realizing that OU will soon be no more.
DeleteWell they will all be out of a job before long when OU collapses! Then they can get a job cleaning toilets in Germany!
ReplyDelete+1000 to that.
DeleteSpeaking from a personal experience? :)
DeleteOr they can work for half their salary for Wizz, and try to sell sandwich and coke to earn the other half.
DeleteI doubt they imagine that scenario, bloody uhljebs!
DeleteWizz Air has 82% better salary than Croatia Airlins, and pilots 124% more.
DeleteValjda sad shvatate kakvi vladini orkovi citaju ovaj blog. Vi ih zovete "uhljebi".
DeleteWizz air pilots have to occasionally help with cleaning between flights, and other duties to make sure they achieve the short turnaround.
DeleteOU staff and Croatians in general don't know the meaning of hard work.
Wizz air pilots to clean? That is not true!
DeletePilots have very little time to clean anything between flights. Its actually their busiest time when they are on the ground!(funny enough) and when they are really working making sure the plane is ready for its scheduled departure time.
DeleteThis is actually a big problem with LLC as they try to get turn around times as short as possible forcing the pilots to rush through critical checks before flights and what many in the industry argue is a major safety issue which is being ignored.
Flight attendants should never be made to clean. Their duty is to check whether the cabin is properly cleaned, ready and safe for the flight.
DeleteHe did say occasionally
DeletePilots in LCCs cleaning the cabin on turnarounds, yes. Probably as much truth in this as in calling airlines like JU,JP,OU and YM legacy carriers.
Delete"It claims that if ORCA's demands were to be met, it would set the company back some 4.3 million euros."
ReplyDeleteThis is peanuts to what they are spending on wet leases this season!
True!
DeleteAnd what they are spending paying for those neo's which they can't use for another 3 years!
DeleteEverybody is writting about the strike, but no one is writting about the facts.
ReplyDeleteWhat are Union requests!
Free money for all. And loads of it.
DeleteSalary on level of 2011 when they cut them because of financial problem in company. Since than management made rise of their income for 30% (because of profit they made). But in that profit there is no money for salaries to come to 2011. level.
DeleteCrazy that pay has not gone up for 7 yrs.
DeleteNo, they cut them in 2012. so they are lower than 2012.
Delete- wage increase for flight crew 20% - 30%
ReplyDelete- annual salary boost of 4% each year
- extended holiday leave
- seasonal cabin crew to be given fixed contracts
to ask this much when globally all carriers are looking to cut staff costs and match them with LCCs is pretty bold move. i am especially surprised by this fixed contacts for seasonal crews.
also, by reading some stuff i found online i was under the impression that unions were more looking to improve corporate governance than to get more benefits, but it seems that it was to question the competence of the current management and put pressure on them.
Alitalia went down because of unions
DeleteAirFrance is full of problems and cannot find the new CEO whose shirt will get ripped by unions
Croatia should learn from this
Wages at Alitalia and Air France are out of this world compared to OU. I used to deal with old Ansett a lot, you could argue Unions destroyed that airline where I would see the same union protected highly paid engineers read newspapers for 12 hours a day (4 hours paid at OT) and they were clearing 100/120 thousand plus per year and doing very little to absolutely nothing. I would see the same thing in Ansett catering too. You can't say the same scenario applies to OU, not to anywhere near that extent.
DeleteOne of OU's biggest advantages it ever had over its competitors is the amount they pay their workers. They should have been able to take full advantage of this but for some reason they can't. Even if the workers were to get the requested pay rise they will still be at a huge advantage compared to their competitors. The mismanagement is beyond bad when it comes to this airline especially when they took out a loan this year which was more than what they say the workers demands would cost, to pay for aircraft which should have already been in their fleet collecting revenue for OU. They could have had at least 2 to 4 older aircraft based on the coast or used to fly Croatian football supporters to Russia but instead Adria have been doing this.
Management and the government have completely failed here. Workers cannot be blamed.
Well said!
DeleteQ, the only thing i can wish you is good luck and that this will end good for OU
DeleteFull support to the Union, hope they will achieve their goals!
Deletexoxo from Dubrovnik
Full support to Union, hope they will finally manage to destroy OU.
DeletePodrzavam svakog radnika koji hoce da se bori za svoja prava a da ce se negativno odraziti na kompaniju to sigurno hoce. Nadam se da ce ErSrbija iskoristiti ovaj strajk i povecati kapacitete ka Zagrebu ako imaju slobodan neki B733 s obzirom da ubise sa carterima. Dok jednom ne smrkne drugom ne svane,od vajkada je bilo...
ReplyDeleteNišta od toga. Zadnja stvar koju će vlada HR dozvoliti je da ASL profitira od propasti OU.
DeleteMa jasno je meni to,naj vise ce profitirati Lufthanza u to nema sumnje. Alako AS moze da uzme delic kolaca bilo bi dobro.
DeleteTo ti mislis da nece iznajmiti avion i posadu od ASa ako ima na raspolaganju. Hrvatski nogometasi se voze sa srpskim avio taksi kompanijama.
DeleteNiko ne moze da zabrani bilo kome da leti sa As ako mu gori pod nogama jer je planirao da leti tih dana.
DeleteNaravno da ne može. Ali ne očekuj povećanje broja linija na kojima će ASL letjeti prema i od ZAG.
DeleteI da hoce ne mogu da povecaju linije u spicu sezone jer su im svi avioni zauzeti. Mislio sam samo ako mogu umesto ATR-a da posalju B733. Ali s obzirom da imaju po 9 cartera dnevno tesko ce i to biti moguce.
DeleteMinimum 9 čartera, pojedinim danima 12,13
Delete"Ubise na carterima" xD
DeleteBase tipicno preterivanje. Naravno da mogu da dodaju vece avione. Broj Carrera je nesto veci nego prosle godine a ASL I dalje ima 60 redovnih letova manje nedeljno nego pre dve god i samo jedan avion manje nego prosle.
It will be a real mess if they go through with this strike but I understand the workers.
ReplyDeleteMy support and best wishes to the employees of Croatia Airlines.
ReplyDeleteSupport they will need soon. Please be prepared to give them some money out of your pocket.
DeleteR.I.P Croatia Airlines
ReplyDelete+1000. Shame how Unions have destroyed what was once one of Europe's leading airlines.
DeleteUnions? No, it were the governments, all of them!
DeleteI'm flying to Paris on Monday ... already changed my tickets to EasyJet. Just my two cents to having OU buried once and for all.
Delete@Anon at 11:40. Unions have destroyed the company? What drugs are you on? Are the unions running the company? They clearly stated that they don't want to run it, they just want normal conditions. Like having a CEO
DeleteUnions should be banned. They serve only to protect the incompetent and lazy!
Delete@anon 1:58
DeleteI wish you were born into poverty some 200 years ago.
What was relevant 200 years ago is not relevant in a modern society. In fact it is damaging these days.
Deleteis it? Have you read Marx's Kapital? It is like he is describing 21st century, not late 19!
DeleteIf someone is undereducated and has a lack of intelligence please do not assume others are like that.
DeleteCroatia Airline employees have been very patient and completely understanding of the situation their company was in and they made a lot of sacrifices in terms of accepting pay cuts and then a freeze in wage increases for many years. There collective patients finally running out is completely understandable. The management on the other hand have continued to make many reckless decisions over the years.
ReplyDeleteA real shame because of what OU could have been.
Exactly. You have the home base in wealthiest metropolis in ex-yu. Number of tourists in the city and the country is growing. Dubrovnik and Split were logical choice to open secondary/seasonal base...all the lost opportunities.
DeleteCan somebody give current net salaries in Croatia?
ReplyDeleteAVG salay in Croatia around 6000kn (roughly 800e). AVG salary in CTN:
DeletePilot : 20000-25000
Co-Pilot: 15000-20000
PU: 10000 - 15000
The only that have low vages and are 100% to strike is maintenance crew.
Salaries are not that bad for considering the living costs.
Delete@AnonymousJuly 4, 2018 at 3:05 PM
DeleteAverage Croatian pay is 6400kuna per month, or €875
Average in Croatian airlines
Pilots - 22000 kuna
Senior pilot - 27000-30 000 kuna
Co-pilot - 12000-20 000kuna
Flight attendants - 8000 for seasonal
5 years - 12 000 kuna
10+ years - 15000 kuna per month
Mechanics and avio engineers
6500 kuna for novice
7500 - 3 years on the job
10 000 kuna - 5 years on the job fully qualified
12000 kuna - over 10 years in the job
15000 kuna with overtime.
Sto, trebali bi biti zadovoljni s ionako porazavajucom statistikom?
DeleteU državi gdje većina stanovništva skuplja sekundarne sirovine da bi preživjeli oni imaju obraza tražiti da im ti isti ljudi osiguraju plaće od preko 10.000 kn?!! Pljuc!!!
Delete6500kn (850€) novice?!?!? HAHAHAHHH!!!!
DeleteThey employ young talents from Aircraft Technic School and keep them on Dekra contract for 5+ years for 500€ with overtime...
I think french concession holders are going to be happy when OU goes bust. I read somewhere when that happens, they don't need to pay concession fees to government. In that case, person under fire will be former transportation minister who signed the deal and government would need to open office for bringing new carriers to boost traffic, just like happened in BUD during Malev demise.
ReplyDeleteI am afraid that similar provision was put in BEG concession agreement
DeleteMaybe, but even so, serbian government can keep JU alive with subsidies. Not so much in OU case, EU won't allow it.
Delete@AnonymousJuly 4, 2018 at 5:57 PM
DeleteYou read it wrong, concessionaire must pay.
Zbog aktualne situacije i štete koje će štrajk neosporno uzrokovati putnicima, ali i cjelokupnom hrvatskom turizmu i gospodarstvu, donesena je odluka prema kojoj će se s danom početka štrajka svim radnicima morati poništiti odobrenja za godišnje odmore tijekom srpnja i kolovoza, a konkretne odluke o određivanju radnih dužnosti u kriznoj situaciji zaposlenici će dobiti izravno od nadređenih.
ReplyDeleteNadalje, plaće za srpanj i razdoblje koje slijedi više se neće isplaćivati prema bivšem Kolektivnom ugovoru nego prema Pravilniku o radu, a radnicima koji štrajkaju, sukladno čl. 216 Zakona o radu, razmjerno će se umanjiti plaća i svi dodaci na plaću. Pritom treba naglasiti da je kompanija u proteklih 18 mjeseci u kojima nije postignut dogovor oko novog kolektivnog ugovora poštovala i primjenjivala sve odredbe prethodnoga kolektivnog ugovora, kao i Promemoriju Ministarstva mora, prometa i infrastrukture od 3. kolovoza 2017. godine, što znači da su svi zaposlenici (uključujući i zaposlenike ujedinjene u sindikat ORCA) imali potpuno ista prava kao da kolektivni ugovor vrijedi.
Nadalje, članovima posada uvest će se obveza sukladno daljnjim uputama neposredno nadređenih, a radnicima koji rade na poslovima zbrinjavanja putnika, sukladno daljnji uputama neposredno nadređenih, uvest će se prekovremeni rad za vrijeme trajanja štrajka, odnosno dok se ne saniraju posljedice štrajka.
Sijedom aktualne situacije, uprava Croatia Airlinesa poziva sindikate i sve zaposlene na duboko promišljanje o značaju i posljedicama štrajka u ovom trenutku. Kompanija nema financijskih mogućnosti na godišnjoj razini izdvojiti dodatnih 53 milijuna kuna, što je protuvrijednost zahtjeva sindikata. Sindikat ORCA, naime, dvaput je odbio ponudu poslodavca o povećanju plaća za 2,5 posto i ostale dodatne pogodnosti (isplata božićnice, regresa… ) i to potkraj 2017. i polovicom 2018. godine, a zbog nepotpisivanja novoga kolektivnog ugovora financijski su oštećeni svi radnici Croatia Airlinesa.
Također, s ciljem normalizacije situacije i poduzimanja svih potrebnih mjera, Uprava Croatia Airlinesa pozvala je predstavnike svih sindikata na nastavak pregovora o kolektivnom ugovoru u četvrtak, 5. srpnja 2018. u 13 sati", priopćili su iz Uprave CA.
Scare tactics almost never works,just makes the things worse
DeleteTe neradnike treba otpustiti i zatvoriti tu rupu od kompanije. Ima tko će letjeti, dapače, građanima Republike Hrvatske može samo biti bolje ako se OU ugasi.
Delete