On Thursday, Austrian Airlines (AUA) and the union Vida were unable to reach an agreement on the collective agreement for its 3,500 on-board employees. According to AUA spokeswoman Sophie Matkovits, discussions are ongoing at various levels but a negotiation date has not been set yet. The union has also confirmed that talks are taking place, but there has been no change in the airline’s offering.
After 20 rounds of negotiations, AUA is offering flying personnel an increase in their collective agreement of 18 percent. This includes an eight percent increase for this year and an additional five percent for 2025 and 2026. Co-pilots are also expected to receive up to ten percent more. However, the on-board works council and Vida union are pushing to reduce the salary gap between AUA and its parent company Lufthansa where employees earn up to 40 percent more.
The Vida Aviation boss Daniel Liebhart stated that the AUA management improved their offer but extended the timeline. This minimal change in the offer means that the underpayment and unequal treatment of Austrian employees within the Lufthansa group will continue. Despite the improvement in the offer, the union cabin crew rejected it with a majority of 90%.
The aviation umbrella organization AI Austria criticized Vida union for persuading workforce to reject an agreement that was acceptable to AUA company. The longer dispute over collective agreement lasts, more damage it causes to Austrian Airlines
