Unions relieved by rescue plan

The pilot's union has given the thumbs-up to the rescue package Keystone Archive

Cabin crew and cockpit unions are relieved over the rescue package for Switzerland's collapsed airline, Swissair.

Joerg Drittenbass, spokesman for Kapers, the cabin crew union representing both Swissair and Crossair, told swissinfo his union was very happy the uncertainty was over. “However,” he said, “there is still a lot of work to do to restructure and build a new airline.”

Drittenbass said the union is willing to work with the Crossair management to negotiate new contracts and get the new airline off the ground.

Even though job losses will be inevitable under the new plan, the union is not overly concerned. Some 800 flight attendants quit their jobs every year, Drittenbass said. They will no longer be replaced.

“We are hoping to keep the job losses at a minimum…but if we have to make people redundant we hope to do that in a humane way by means of a social plan, which is being worked out right now.”

Thomas Häderli of the Crossair cockpit union also expressed immense relief over the rescue package. He thinks job losses are inevitable but “they will have to be justified by the old management of Swissair,” he told swissinfo.

According to Häderli, his union was very pleased that Crossair was able to provide a solution that could save as many jobs as possible. He also said Crossair pilots could look optimistically toward the future since they were not affected by the job losses.

Merging cultures

Drittenbach does not see any difficulties in merging the two cabin crew cultures of Swissair and Crossair. All flight attendants are specialists in dealing with people, he says, and he does not foresee any cultural difference between the crews.

“It is not a merger of two airlines but a partial integration of Swissair in the existing Crossair,” Häderli said.

Although Swissair staff is said to earn a higher income, according to Drittenbach the starting salaries of Crossair and Swissair are almost identical.

“The problem is that Crossair has never had any flight attendant working for them for longer than ten years, so there has never been the necessity to work out a retirement plan for long-term employees.”

For the Crossair cockpit union it is essential that there be one future corps of pilots and not two, said Häderli. “The salary and seniority lists of both airlines will have to be merged to become one single list to avoid a two-class society,” he said.

Both unions agree that the rescue plan represents a big turning point for the Swiss aviation industry, and Häderli believes it could set an example for other airlines all over the world.

“After the tragic terrorist attacks on September 11 all airlines have to rethink their costs. What we are seeing today might spearhead other developments that are going to happen in the industry.”

by Ramsey Zarifeh and Billi Bierling