A court temporarily bans further industrial action at Zagreb Airport
A temporary court injunction has been issued against further industrial action at Croatia’s busiest airport after employees staged a strike on Thursday and Friday, cancelling all flights. Just after midnight services started to resume at Zagreb Airport. The injunction will be in place while the court considers a claim by airport management that the strike was illegal. As a result, further strike action by unions planned for next week have been put on hold. In a statement, the union said it will respect the court’s decision but added the fight for workers’ rights will continue, insisting the industrial action is being halted only temporarily.
It is estimated the two day long strike caused the cancellation of over sixty flights and cost the airport some 118.000 euros per day. Unions are against a takeover by French led consortium Zagreb Airport International Company which said the industrial action has caught it by surprise. Unions fear some 800 employees will lose their jobs and benefits once the airport is taken over. President of Zagreb Airport’s managing board, Miroslav Drljača, has pledged employees would keep both their jobs and benefits for at least five years after the takeover.
According to earlier plans, employees were to stage a three day long strike next week and an indefinite strike from December 1 if their demands were not met, one of which is the immediate stop of the airport’s takeover. As a result of employee angst and a range of other issues in the past, such as financing and construction permits, the takeover and subsequent construction of a second terminal at Zagreb Airport has been severely delayed. Over the past two days passengers traveling to the Croatian capital have endured long journeys with most rerouted to other cities.
Well... this is turning out to be a total mess. Why do I have a feeling that the unions will not give up without a messy fight?
ReplyDeleteOk, I have to ask now. Is there a possibility the French withdraw from the deal if this continues? December 1st is a week away....
NO, French have invested too much in to this to withdraw and there's no alternative for the airport. Government would simply provitize the airport for peanuts and new owner can fire and hire as they please.
DeleteAnd I can tell you now, airport has 20% staff surplus, at least 200 staff would go if new owner takes over.
If I were director if airport now, i'd fire everyone who went on strike, every single one of them, sure I'd have interruption in operations for 3-4 months, but end result would be I'd have a new workforce that is willing to do an honest day of work.
Current union is militant commie committee that suckles on state tit, running it dry.
I'd fire every single one who went on strike and they'd loose any benefits. Considering the fact that most of them uneducated, with no other qualification other than live of State's backbone I' think they'd have hard time finding an employment.
On a more positive note, B&H Airlines has finally added Belgrade on its website. Flights start on 16 December and a return flight costs €98.
ReplyDeleteWill JA place its code on JU's flights? How will it work?
Here is an interesting video of how an F16 almost collided with a passenger aircraft. To see it go to 04:00.
ReplyDeletehttp://aeroporilikia.gr/index.php/gallery/video/item/25-%CF%80%CE%B1%CF%81%CE%B1%CE%BB%CE%AF%CE%B3%CE%BF-%CF%84%CF%81%CE%B1%CE%B3%CF%89%CE%B4%CE%AF%CE%B1-%CE%BC%CE%B1%CF%87%CE%B7%CF%84%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%BF%CF%8D-%CE%BC%CE%B5-%CF%80%CE%BF%CE%BB%CE%B9%CF%84%CE%B9%CE%BA%CF%8C-%CE%B1%CE%B5%CF%81%CE%BF%CF%83%CE%BA%CE%AC%CF%86%CE%BF%CF%82-%CF%83%CF%84%CE%BF-fl360
This is a shame, from a "left" government and with a "left partner" (France). Workers rights must be protected, and their right to a strike is a success for which much blood has been spilled in past.
ReplyDeleteMean comments on previous news regarding the strike just show how great is lack of solidarity in the Balkans (regardless of ethnicity and "ethnic tolerance", it is a lack of human compassion in its prime).
Are you serious? So if I demand 75 days of holiday, company car for every employee and if I have union behind my back, then everything is legitimate?
DeleteI see that it is totally ok to offer to employees that they will get their severance paid and everybody gets laid off, but without ANY guarantees that they will be hired back, the rest is just ridiculous.
... and if they were really smart, they would demand just that, to be laid off with severance but without making so many noise and trowing so much shit on that French guys. Because if they would do that, it just MIGHT work for them in the way they demand.
BTW. I am Serb, so I do not care rats ass on it, for me it is like watching a comedy :) From my position I would support union to the end :) just to have more episodes to watch. :D
@vasingtonskver
Deleteworkers rights are being respected, but in this case these are not workers, these are lazy arse bitches that got their jobs due to connections and benefits and income that are totally disproportionated to their qualifications, most of them have no qualification of any sort, and militants among them want to rebel against the state cause State wants to do one good thing out of the airport which stagnates for years now cause its too small terminal.
I'd fire every single lazy arse person on strike on a spot, there are plenty in Croatia who are willing to take their well paid jobs.
Forget the french. They are "left" only in their own country, because of the political culture and pressure there. Being "left" inside and keeping lots of state control over national champions like EDF, Air France, SNCF....etc. The official politics is doing everything to prevent foreigners to enter the market, like Pepsi was prevented from taking over Danone. On the other hand the french government pushes with lots of support companies to invest abroad. Abroad french companies behave like slave holders and early Manchester-capitalists. Air France for instance fired all own check-in staff in Germany. In Munich they hired a handling agent that hired people from Lithuania who barely speak any language and live in small containers near the airport! I support the workers of ZLZ and their worries are justified.
ReplyDeleteThat is called capitalism. You don't like it?! Planet asked for it, now we are living it.
DeleteIt is "natural" system stronger wins, weaker dies... then there will be some revolution, things would reset for super short period of time and same will be continued.
Unfortunately, but we are not ruled by the best people that you can get, we are ruled by those who are scrupulous-less.
This goes for union leaders as well... they are greedy and currently they feel strong.
That workers have to live in containers because they earn not enough money to rent an appartment...
DeleteThat has nothing to do with capitalism.
This is a crime and slavery!
This "capitalism" is like communist economy .
People doing hard work for nothing while the big bosses fill their pockets without end.
The big problem of the last years is that people earn not enough money and thus have to pay everything with debt.
Of course nobody can pay it back.How can you save money with lowest wages?
Group that runs Charles de Gaulle are "amateurs" according to ZLZ employees...
ReplyDeleteI'm sick of this balkan stuff...
supporting the union !
ReplyDeleteunion assholes. all should get fired. even though I would had never ever entrust managing the airport by the state, these d*cks are responsible for the Zagreb airport getting the concession model in the first place.
ReplyDeleteHow ? Taking forever to collect the necessary funds for building a new terminal - used all the profit for high salaries (average salary is 1.200 euros, and average education level is not even completed highschool), and there are way too many of the employees anyway.
Plus, the former management (in coordination with the union, employees) were slowing down the process of governement buying off the surrounding land (themselves had changed the terminal development plans several times in order to buy the necessary land and resell it for a high price).
Basically, bunch of dirty, uneducated, corrupt, lazy and incapable f*cks are now unhappy as the job of the century (building and managing) is not in their hands anymore.
That' s all there's too it.
@PetarNovember 23, 2013 at 4:54 PM
Deletex2
Totally agree, took words out of my mouths!
Scum every single one of them!
"bunch of dirty, uneducated, corrupt, lazy and incapable f*cks "
Deleteidi jebi se bre
The whole lot is a f***ing mess! I wson't be flying through that s**t airport again! Croatia Airlines should relocate to Spu!
ReplyDelete