A cabin crew strike at Brussels Airlines, pencilled in for December, has been averted. Unions say management put a "serious proposal" on the table. Staff will be consulted in the course of next month. Brussels Airlines pilots, who have also submitted a strike notice, have been invited to a reconciliation meeting on Monday.
Brussels Airlines cabin crews planned to walk out on 1, 2 and 3 December. Unions accused the company of failing to respect several collective agreements. A strike notice was submitted by all the unions, but it soon became clear that some of the unions allowed the management more negotiating room.
Negotiations resulted in an agreement not to strike in December, explains Olivier Van Camp of the socialist union BBTK. It’s important for the company because the holidays are just around the corner. This was a message that did not fall on deaf union ears.
According to Van Camp, the management put a "serious and sizeable proposal" on the table that includes financial guarantees and agreements on working conditions, rest times and guaranteed income in case of illness. The staff will be consulted during the month of December.
Brussels Airlines pilots, who also submitted a strike notice, on Wednesday, for actions planned from 11 December onwards, have been invited to a reconciliation meeting on Monday.