Industrial action at Brussels Airport

March and April 2007 were marked by social unrest at Brussels Airport. Industrial action hampered the start of operations of the newly-created Brussels Airlines, resulting from the merger of SN Brussels and Virgin Express in November last year. Moreover, a one-day strike among security personnel and firefighters brought all airport activities to a halt in April. The workers called for better working conditions in relation to working time and/or pay benefits.

Dispute marks launch of Brussels Airlines

On 25 March 2007, the first flight operated by the new Brussels Airlines landed at Brussels National Airport in Zaventem. Brussels Airlines was officially established on 7 November 2006 by the merger of SN Brussels with Virgin Express. However, what should have been a day of celebration for the airline in March, setting definitively aside the bad memories of the Sabena bankruptcy, was spoiled by industrial action (for details, see Belgian contribution to EIRO study on industrial relations in airline sector (79.5Kb MS Word doc)).

Stewards, stewardesses and other personnel refused to wear their new Brussels Airlines uniforms in protest at changes made to their pay and working conditions. Cabin personnel wore their old Virgin or SN Brussels uniforms, and they also refused to sell any products to passengers onboard the aircrafts. The underlying reason for the dispute was the introduction of shorter turn-around times between flights. SN Brussels Airlines allowed 40 minutes to get the plane ready for the next flight, while Brussels Airlines now expects its staff to prepare the plane for the next flight in just 30 minutes. The trade unions said that this simply is not long enough and argued that the new regulation would be a breach of the current company collective agreement. Besides the organised protest – knowingly not a strike – the trade unions also took legal action against Brussels Airlines for the alleged breach of the company’s collective agreement. The company could be forced to pay €5,000 in compensation each time the agreement is broken, if the court rejects its appeal.

However, before the court had to make its ruling, the company’s management and the trade unions reached a settlement on the dispute. Turn-around times will only be cut back to 30 minutes when landing abroad, and cabin crews will still have 40-minute turn-around times when they land at Brussels Airport. The personnel also received some new benefits: pay income guarantees, a proposed new assessment system and meal vouchers as an indirect pay increase on European flights. In the case of the company’s pilots, the management proposal is still subject to a referendum; the result was expected by 25 April 2007.

Brussels Airport closes due to strike

On a traditionally busy day during the Easter holidays, security staff and firefighters at Brussels Airport went on strike in protest against their current working conditions. As a result, about 200 flights had to be cancelled on 13 April 2007, affecting 26,000 passengers. The strike action only ended at about 16.00.

According to the representative trade union, the discontent among the airport’s security staff was due to a complete lack of people management. The firefighters joined the spontaneous strike because, in the weeks previously, no progress was made in the collective bargaining negotiations on a new agreement related to overtime and meal vouchers.

After a whole day of industrial action and further bargaining, the parties involved reached an agreement, which provides for the additional payment of meal vouchers for firefighters and security personnel. Furthermore, measures have been taken to address the hierarchical problems within the security department. Brussels Airport management issued a statement saying that the strike could have been avoided. They considered the action as ‘irresponsible’, since the issues being disputed could easily have been solved by the normal procedures of consultation and negotiation.

Normal operations resumed at Brussels Airport on the following day. Nevertheless, the workers’ decision to strike triggered a lot of criticism as many tourists were stranded at the airport. Tour operators and airlines demanded the adoption of new rules to avoid this kind of situation in the future. In the meantime, the Brussels Airport Company which runs the airport has granted free landing rights on Fridays in May to these airlines as a form of compensation. However, both the tour operators and airlines are still considering submitting an insurance claim for the financial losses suffered as a result of the strike action.

The Federal Minister for Transport, Renaat Landuyt, also strongly criticised the strike. In a statement to the newspaper De Morgen, the minister said that the Brussels Airport Company bears a heavy responsibility for what happened: ‘We have learnt our lesson. If a private company wants to run the airport, it should also be prepared to take 100% responsibility for it.’

Commentary

Brussels Airport faced a difficult period after the bankruptcy of the former national airline Sabena (BE0102340F). Nevertheless, the airport’s recent recovery seems to go hand in hand with the renewed occurrence of industrial action. Such industrial action automatically triggers a debate on the right of workers to strike and guaranteeing a minimum service, as the airport is of vital importance for a city that aspires to be the administrative and business capital of Europe.

Guy Van Gyes, Higher Institute for Labour Studies (HIVA), Catholic University of Leuven