Luxair accused of replacing employees in partial unemployment with workers from external company

Besides an upcoming national tripartite, the government has scheduled a special tripartite for the aviation sector on 26 September, on the request of several trade unions. The Luxembourg Confederation of Christian Trade Unions (LCGB), the Independent Luxembourg Trade Union Confederation (OGBL), and the Luxembourg Neutral Trade Union (NGL-SNEP) demanded a meeting with the government and the Luxair management as staff members are currently faced with excessive workloads, according to the trade unions. The LCGB, the OGBL, and the NGL-SNEP argue that due to staff shortages caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, those that still work at Luxair are overwhelmed. In view of the discussions in late September, the responsible parliamentary committee met on Thursday to discuss the issue.

MP Marc Spautz from the Christian Social People's Party (CSV) stated that his party wanted to know what the working conditions at the airport are like, whether all jobs are secure, and what Luxair's financial situation is.

Spautz argued that a difference must be made between the conditions in the air and on the ground.

MP Marc Goergen from the Pirate Party mentioned the problem of low-cost airlines such as Ryanair or Easyjet. According to the MP, the problem in Luxembourg is that a large amount of passengers take advantage of these low fares but Luxair is often the one who has to handle the flights themselves.

However, it was another issue that sparked a lot of discussion among MPs. Despite the fact that Luxair was granted short-time work, the company made use of external companies.

MP Carlo Weber from the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP) stated that he was "surprised and to some degree also disappointed". Luxair's decision "goes against all basic principles," according to the MP, who slammed Luxair for "sending people into partial unemployment" only to "replace them through other companies that work for less money". "This goes against all fundamental right," Weber criticised, adding that it is "making a mockery of taxpayer money".

Goergen pointed out that he had already enquired about this issue in March, when it was first announced that German Airways, "a company that pays 50% less than Luxair," would now fly with Luxair planes. For the Pirate Party MP, the airline has "circumvented the collective agreement and the trade unions," stressing that his party does not agree with this practice. The opposition party demands that Luxair hire people themselves instead of "taking on people under German conditions to fly their planes".

MP Jeff Engelen from the Alternative Democratic Reform Party (adr) confirmed that during the meeting, it came to light that Luxair has outsourced several flights to an external company. The latter "flies cheaper, their staff is cheaper than our Luxembourgers," Engelen stated, concluding that "this is the illegality that we determined this morning".

However, MP Max Hahn from the Democratic Party (DP) argues that these allegations are "nothing but rumours," with Hahn pointing out that the Minister himself said that he considers them to be just rumours. Nevertheless, Hahn also stated that the Minister will investigate the allegations and if they turn out to be true, measures will be taken "to put a stop to it immediately".

The goals for the upcoming tripartite are to hire new staff and relieve current employees – something which is easier said than done.

Hahn points out that this is also about Luxair's future in an industry that is undergoing significant changes. For the DP MP, the main challenge is rapidly increasing energy prices. Jet fuel in particular is "the most expensive petroleum product".

The director of Luxair has announced that he will comment on the different issues on Friday.

The full report by RTL Télé (in Luxembourgish):