Austrian Airlines’ Collective Agreement Unresolved: Will More Strikes Follow?

Austrian Airlines has yet to reach a resolution on the collective agreement for its on-board staff, which includes 3,500 employees. Discussions are ongoing at various levels, but no negotiation date has been set. The union has confirmed that talks are taking place, but there has been no change in the airline’s offering.

After 20 rounds of negotiations, Austrian Airlines is offering flying personnel an increase in the 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 the Vida union are pushing to reduce the salary gap between AUA and its parent company Lufthansa, where employees earn up to 40 percent more.

Despite improvements in the offer by Austrian Airlines management, the underpayment and unequal treatment of Austrian employees within the Lufthansa group will continue as the timeline has been extended. The Vida Aviation boss Daniel Liebhart stated that while there was an improvement in the offer from Austrian Airlines management, it was not enough to satisfy the demands of the union cabin crew. With a majority of 90 percent rejection rate, it is clear that this issue will persist.

The aviation umbrella organization AI Austria criticizes the Vida union for convincing its workforce to reject an agreement that was acceptable to AUA company. As negotiations continue without a resolution in sight, further strikes cannot be ruled out. The longer this dispute lasts, the greater damage it causes to Austrian Airlines’ reputation and bottom line.