After months of negotiations, the pilots of ASL Airlines Belgium (a company based in Bierset) filed a strike notice on Wednesday as a common union front (Setca, CGSLB and CNE). Suddenly, actions could take place as early as next week.
“You should know that our activity has been expanding for 2 years and that at no time has our sector been at a standstill given its strategic importance in the supply chain, including to fight the Covid”, explains Fred Daveloose, SETCa delegate.
“Cargo flight crews have been put under pressure both commercially by an increase in the number of flights, and at the level of working conditions. Particularly during the breaks in Asia and the Middle East which impose particularly drastic measures of isolation which is cumbersome. And in Belgium, it is teleworking which causes a loss of efficiency of the services concerned, impacting the work of the pilots who have to replace and far too often improvise “.
According to the common union front, the taking into account of this increase in the arduous nature of the work is not listened to by the management. “A guarantee of maintaining a reasonable pace of work allowing sufficient rest, even in periods of intense activity, this for the well-being of pilots but also for air safety appeared to us as a minimum”, continues Didier Lebbe of the CNE, “especially since the explosion of the cargo activity generates unprecedented benefits for the company.”
In addition to this already complex situation, there are fears linked to the relocation of FedEX’s activities: “Since it is ASL’s main client, more than 150 pilots will have to travel to Paris for their flights. departure “, specifies Vicky Hendricks, permanent CGSLB. “This will have an impact on the family lives of the staff concerned. Not to mention the fears of eventually resorting to external pilots to further increase profits by cutting back on salaries.”
