A tripartite meeting and all is well? Not according to our sources, who paint a rather worrying picture of the organisation and work conditions imposed on employees at Luxembourg’s leading airline.
“We’re short-staffed and have been for some time,” says a Luxair pilot who insists on remaining anonymous. The staffing shortage, according to him, could well result in numerous cancellations this summer.
There is no way of knowing in advance which flights will be affected. “We generally try to find a solution right up to the end, which is why cancellations are often made at the last minute”, he explains. And even when a replacement is found, he insists that this is not always good news.
Our source talked of a domino effect as pilots are only authorised to carry out a limited number of flights in a month: “It solves the problem today, but creates a new one tomorrow.” According to him, “everyone is being pushed to the limits”, which poses problems in terms of flight planning.
This is bad news for travellers who have already booked their tickets for the summer holidays. It is also bad news for those who were planning to buy their tickets from the Luxembourg airline in the coming weeks, particularly since this seems to have become a recurring problem within the company.
A Luxair union delegate and an employee of the cargo subsidiary had already spoken out last year, denouncing a deterioration in working conditions and a work overload since the coronavirus pandemic.
Already stretched to the limit in 2022, Luxair staff have not seen their workload decrease in 2023. On the contrary, the company is reportedly often flirting with the legal limits on working hours, especially when it comes to flight crews.
The situation on the ground is no better. Last year, RTL published the testimony of an employee who denounced “dubious practices” and claimed to be under “constant pressure” from his superiors. At the time, Luxair’s nomination as the most attractive employer in Luxembourg drew only laughter from the people working at Findel.
Some thought it was a joke, pointing out that the company was finding it increasingly difficult to recruit. The reason: the workload, working hours and, above all, salaries. The union delegate, interviewed by Quotidien had this to say on the subject: “We know that those who apply leave the interview disappointed and give up because of the pay.”
A pilot interviewed by RTL Infos at the beginning of May was keen to point out that “contrary to what people think, pilots’ salaries are a long way from being perfect.” According to him, the days of juicy salaries are over.
He explained that “too many people have unrealistic ideas about what we earn”. Without giving exact figures, he said he is one of “those who can’t buy” a property in Luxembourg. “Many pilots move to the border”, he says.
The pay freeze and “the elimination of a good number of benefits have not helped”, he added. When asked why he works for Luxair in these conditions, the interviewee said that he does so out of passion, not greed. His family is in Luxembourg, so he made a choice.
Last September, almost 800 of the company’s employees took to the streets of the capital to protest against their working conditions. At the end of a tense tripartite aviation meeting, they finally obtained a compromise on wages and an end to short-time working.
In conversation with RTL Infos, Michelle Cloos of the OGBL civil aviation union confirmed that numerous problems persist within the company. “Working groups have been set up since the tripartite meeting, but many things remain unresolved”, she said.
The trade unionist confirmed that Luxair has a tendency to overload its employees’ schedules. “Too many flights are planned in relation to the available workforce”. As a result, the slightest absence can have serious consequences. “One absence and nothing goes,” says Cloos.
“Employees on standby are almost guaranteed to be called in,” explains the trade unionist, who points to the efforts made by staff in 2022. “You know, last year a lot of things were done on a voluntary basis. We can’t reasonably ask them to constantly push themselves to the limit.”
She also confirms that “flight time limits are regularly exceeded”. As for any flight cancellations, Cloos insists that she cannot “confirm anything”. However, cancellations seem inevitable according to the information relayed to us by several corroborating sources.
When contacted by RTL Infos, the Luxembourg airline declined to comment. “Luxair will not be taking any position on the matter”, was the simple reply from the company’s communications department.
