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| Pilots, cabin crew and maintenance staff threaten with strike next week |
Croatia Airlines’ pilots, cabin crew and maintenance staff have threatened with industrial action after they were unable to negotiate the new terms of their collective agreements with their management. The union representing Croatia Airlines cabin crew and maintenance staff - SKOZ and SSSAH - have already approved strike action at their general assemblies, while the union representing the carrier’s pilots is yet to vote on the measure. Antonio Čorak, head of the SSSAH union, says a warning strike is likely to take place as early as next week while an indefinite strike would begin afterwards if the union’s demands are not met.
Croatia Airlines’ management is still hoping to find a common ground with its staff and avert possible industrial action after the first round of negotiations failed. “We are still holding talks with the unions in order to find the best solution, keeping in mind the state of the Croatian economy, Croatia Airlines’ position on the market and the company’s restructuring program”, the airline said in a statement. The head of the SKOZ union, Suzana Artuković Vuksan, explains cabin crew are demanding improved duty times and a fixed minimum monthly wage of 650 euros. However, Croatia Airlines says the demands are unsustainable and would involve additional expenses of up to 6.5 million euros per year.
Croatia Airlines’ staff were involved in their longest-running industrial dispute with their management only two years ago. In May 2013, unions staged an eight day walkout, paralysing the airline and its operations. Staff first held a warning strike, which lasted twelve hours, after which they called for an immediate work stoppage. A potential strike now would come at a delicate time for the airline, as it faces increased competition in Zagreb but also continues to improve its finances and enters its final year of restructuring, which has limited its possibilities for expansion.
Well what can I say €650 is to much that is what management says. So what do they say about salary of Ceo Kucko ,for the salary he is paid sure hasn't done anything good business wise .but personally thanks to Croatia Airlines his bank account is full and he can put his children studying in Holland while his staff are having a hard time paying their bills.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, from looks of it all part time cabin crew don't even make €650 which barely more than a minimum pay in Croatia which is around €420,
DeleteSure Croatia was hit by worst economic recession since records begun way back in 1850s, but u can't blame the state of economy for not paying your stuff a living wage whilst management at same time takes massive chunks for themselves.
If Kucko had any decency he'd cut his pay by 20% and give these 20% to worst paid staff.
You should look at the niche average, not national average
DeleteEmployees of former Jat Airways made the same money althoguh an average salary in Serbia is only 55% of that in Croatia. I believe Air ćSerbia salaries are even higher. And it also goes for Tarom and Bulgaria Air, whereas in their countries salary is less or more the same as in Serbia.
Its not that i defent the standpoint of OU employees, i just present you with facts and a proper way of calculation. If an airline cant provide them with 600 Eur a month as an average it should rater cease to exist.
Not again, fire Kucko immediately!
ReplyDelete€650 = hard working people
ReplyDeleteCeo Kucko = children studying in the Netherlands + house and trip's. Ou sorry you mean business wise well he did nothing for Croatia Airlines only personal wise as you can see .
staff can hardly pay their bills .
Oh this is just wonderful!
ReplyDeleteThat is called the reality of Croatia Airlines
DeleteActually, I was always curious, why is OU striking so often when compared to other ex-YU airlines? Are their working conditions that much worse or are the employees disillusioned and spoiled?
DeleteThey had a strike in 2011, 2013 and now 2015 if they go ahead. It's because of their collective agreements expire every two years and since restructuring began, the terms of their agreements are becoming worse. Now before someone throws stones at me, I'm from Serbia, but I think the minimal wage they are asking for is higher than at all other ex-Yu airlines except maybe Adria.
DeleteSo how much do they earn now? Without the extras and so on?
DeleteI know JU cabin crew earn between €900 and €1.100 per month.
they earn up to 1.500 EUR but in slow winter months around 1.000 EUR
DeletePurser 1.300-2.000 EUR
Firts officer 2.000-3.000 EUR
Captain 4.000-6.000 EUR
+ free transportation
Hmm those are some good salaries I would say!
DeleteWhat about the management and the Ceo Kucko cost .
DeleteThey work like dogs, so I would say they are pretty underpaid...
DeleteWhat should JU crew say then? lol
DeleteOU cabin crew are much better paid than ASL, probably they don't work so hard and under such pressure and monitoring. According to rumours last year 38 ASL stw willingly left job.
DeleteYes, the situation in JU is getting quite bad. Now they have spies on all flights which provoke the crew in order to check how they perform.
DeleteSome time ago, a fantastic purser was suepended for two weeks because he did not ask a passenger to show his boarding pass when entering the plane.
U jesen 2013. su radnici Jat-a bili izlozeni psiholoskom pritisku unutar firme sa ciljem da se sto veci broj zaposlenih prepozna kao neodgovarajuci i besperspektivan za "novi pocetak 1.1.2014", ... Samo u jednom odeljenju se dve trecine (130 od 200) (ne)dobrovoljno prijavilo na Program otpremnina, pola ih je otislo u penziju, pola na Biro rada. Glasine su sirili upravo neki, koji su ostali da rade u novoj firmi,sada i unapredjeni. Ne gradi se sreca na tudjoj nesreci!
DeleteTako se radi u kapitalizmu, sta je problem? Ne znam da li si procitao dopis, socijalizam je zamenjen pre par decenija.
Delete''Some time ago, a fantastic purser was suepended for two weeks because he did not ask a passenger to show his boarding pass when entering the plane.''
DeleteFantastic in what sense? A so-called fantastic purser would have checked each and every boarding pass - its part of the routine security procedure. He/she is lucky he wasn't dismissed - that would have been the outcome in many airlines.
I flew many times with Swiss, SAS, Lufthansa, Turkish, Austrian and ASL and I can confirm that I was NEVER asked to show my boarding card to Cabin crew although always I keep it in my hands ready to show if required. What others have to say about this issue?
DeleteHe is fantastic because he is professional. Asking passengers to show boarding passes when entering the aircraft is a stupid waste of time and slows the boarding process.
DeleteI have been asked to show boarding pass at many widebody boardings to speed up the process. Crew can direct clueless passengers to left or right aisle based on seat assignment, instead of letting them roam around cabin and getting everyone pissed off. I have also been asked for it at some single aisle boardings.
DeleteRegarding the boarding cards, theyre not checked for seat numbers rather for flight information ie flight number, date of travel and destination to ensure it all matches up. This is to ensure incidents such as what happened in TK dont occur.
Deletehttp://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2013/05/20/turkish-airlines-error-dhaka-dakar/2327031/
This becomes a safety/security issue as you dont know exactly who it was you have boarded. And if its a full flight, you deplane and reboard all over again until you get the right count. Imagine that in an A380 with 500+ seats. With that comes the need for cabin crew to redo their safety and security search of the aircraft before allowing pax to reboard.
Its nothing to do with seat numbers and pax getting lost, you get the special category sitting in row 25 going aft past row 32 looking for 'zone F', only to be told theyve past their seat and watching them forcing their way through the crowd to get to row 25. Or the one sitting in row 31 trying to fight his way during the boarding call for rows 55 to 40. Or the ones with oversized bags that dont fit the hatracks who then need to be offloaded which takes more time than that 3 second boarding pass check. Your not being inconvenienced by the 3 second boarding pass check, it doesnt waste time. If it inconveniences you then your just an ass.
As for the 'spies', theyre called 'mystery shoppers'. Alot of airlines and companies in the customer service industry randomly do this as a way to ensure the customer is being delivered a product and service as per the company standards, to ensure theyre all met, that there arent shortfalls and are consistent in their offering. There are many competitors and we all talk about consistency and service delivery. One crew smiled to me and was helpful and amazing, the other was a bitch. Familiar? Mystery shoppers iron those out.
Lastly, the 38 who resigned were mostly if not all former JAT staff. They havnt had the most easiest transition from JAT to Air Serbia and I could imagine its been stressful, not to mention the indirect emphasis to hide the old faces behind the curtains while the new fresh faces of Air Serbia take the center stage, whether good or bad.
'Lastly, the 38 who resigned were mostly if not all former JAT staff.'
DeleteActually no, most of them have been the newly hired crew. Roughly 25 cabin crew from Jat stayed. Also a few cabin crew quit last August/September because of the way they were treated.
The number has to be more than 25 considering over 800 staff transferred to Air Serbia.
DeleteAs well, lets make a difference between resigned and being fired, because I know of 4 being sacked, 3 from ground staff and Im sure there is more.
As for the treatment, Ive heard of the stories from ground staff. Onboard for the crew is ok, but the issues are more on pay ie dnevnice the crew get. For example, crew being payed the same regardless of doing the BEG-TGD-BEG rotation or doing BEG-TIV-BEG-CDG-BEG. Or the delaying of flights in the middnight wave so as to cut an extra 'dnevnice' from the crew salary. There is a lot of work to be done to enhance customer service in Air Serbia and the pressure is on. All is justified and should be done. For me Air Serbia has taken several steps forward and a couple of steps back, hence the emphasis this year on customer service, Ground staff is a disaster, call centre a nightmare, and reclaims/complaints dept shameful. Maybe you can fill me in with what treatment you are talking about.
25 cabin crew stayed to work for Air Serbia after the last round of voluntary leave with compensation was offered. I am not talking about the other members of the staff.
DeleteAlso, can you really blame the ground staff for not working flawlessly? After all, they are earning 30.000 RSD per month. Someone with 20 years of experience earns around 46.000 RSD.
DeleteThat's far from great.
Of those 25-30 ex-Jat c/crew half are 55-60-year old CSs...and they can't "hide their old faces behind the curtains" because they are on-duty, at entrance door, and in B/C.
DeleteI am too tired to type now but I will definitely get back to you... been a long day. :)
DeleteIt seems the voluntary leave with compensation must be better than before if more and more is taking it, because I know that the cabin crew was annoyed with the offer a couple years back.
DeleteSome ground staff hours are ridiculous and pay is small, and I hope some changes do come. But check in staff lacks alot, it is one of the first experiences a customer has with Air Serbia and that is where alot of complaints come from. Recently they checked in a family member of mine to the stop over destination rather than the final destination, even though it was with the same airline and same ticket! There is no justification in that no matter how hard you try. Check in for me has taken a few steps back in Air Serbia compared to JAT, so to hurry with a pay increase I dont see a reason why. Having said that, at least the pay is on time, as far as I have heard. I dont work in JU but I do know people in JU. Rest up and we'll talk later :)
30.000 RSD that is around 240 EUR. Wooow, how can you survive with that amount of money?
DeleteOk, I am fully rested now so I can write more clearly.
DeleteRegarding check-in, it won't change any time soon because that is, in a way, an entry-level position. Whoever shows any competence is immediately moved elsewhere (transfer desk, gates...). So you have the least competent employees working there. By the way, did you know that they are forcing one of their employees to constantly stand at the beginning of the check-in line throughout the night? Even when there are no flights and the check-ins are closed. They rotate them every hour. Horrible.
So yeah... don't expect this to change any time soon.
The last voluntary leave was organised in December 2014 and that's when most of ex-Jat employees left. JU had a serious issue with pursers last summer. They had to upgrade several younger f/as who moved from Wizz Air or Qatar...The situation among the crew is far from perfect. The younger ones are reporting on each other and there is generally a lot of stress. That's one of the reasons why so many left.
There are certain sections of ASGS where the working conditions are ok while some others where they are beyond abysmal. Abysmal as in they don't even provide them with clean access to the bathroom or clean drinking water. Like I said, all this for maximum 50.000 a month! It goes without saying that they don't pay for overtime... even if it is included in the contract.
I am working at ASGS so I can't write much more. They have their vultures lurking around all social media and forums. Things got pretty bad since ASGS HR is no longer in charge of us... that is since they streamlined their operations.
Last summer we were all happy when they brought some Australians to run ASGS. Unfortunately they did not live to our expectations. The Transfer Care Team project was a total miss and that was their baby.
However, there is one guy and his name is Kevin, he seems cool and very competent so let's wait and see.
Regards from BEG :)
I also wanted to add is that a lot of truly competent people were either fired or they quit. In long-term this will be a huge problem for the airline, they will have to give their employees a break, especially those who have a 19 hour shift.
DeleteI will give you an example. There was a young gate agent who was fired because he wasn't freshly shaved. What the then head of ASGS did not know is that when she saw him he was finishing a 16 hour shift which was made much longer since the flight he was working on was delayed by three hours. so obviously his beard started to grow back. The witch saw him and fired him on the spot. Regardless of the fact that he was on his way home.
Thanks for the reply :)
DeleteLooks like JU is another airline sadly becoming an airline with a reporting culture. Hopefully its just a phase. This was never before in the old JAT. They knew each other and looked after each other I guess,.
The person standing in front of the check in seems like someone greeting and assisting pax as they go for check in. EY have the same thing in AUH in T3, but with a couple more people because of the larger operations.
As for the workers facilities, I imagine that they too are in need of a major overhaul like a good 50% of BEG. The hours was what I touched on before in previous comments because I knew about this shift, and as you say, it can go longer. After this shift I think its 1 or 2 days off correct me if I am wrong. Im surprised the union is allowing it. The termination doesnt seem right, looks illegal and Im sure he can sue the company and get his job back. I believe there is a 60 day termination period meaning he stays on the job during this time? no? I heard of the girls from check in who went into the city on their break and got fired for it because of course they were late back from their break.
I guess this boils down to the company trying to bring in some order from what was JAT before. Im sure its been a messy tidy up and things will just get better from there. There was also a big shake up in management and implementing new things, new services, new products, a new fleet, new destinations, new flights, new waves, expenditure, brand exposure, new name and new beginings...Not everything is bad, Ive talked to many in JU from cabin crew and ground staff, overall its ok, its something I feel our people are not used to. Jat was poorly run for many years, was declining year after year, bleeding money with an aging fleet. Change I guess has been a bit of a shock.
Those who quit JU can apply at Qatar and enjoy workers utopia over there! Bet they will run back to JU after experiencing paradise conditions at Qatar!
DeleteThe problem by Croatia Airlines is that the management are a bunch of uncapable managers lead by a Ceo who as know idea how to run a airline and earning alot of money .How come is the focus on the €650 let's focus on how much cost the management especially the Ceo
ReplyDeleteCaptain 4000-6000 eur netto ?
ReplyDeleteThis is lots for poor Croatia... and a Purser have 2000 ?
If this is true, this is too much.
Those are salaries in Air Serbia not Croatia.
DeleteNo, that are the salaries in Croatia Airlines ;) And only thing that is not true are Dash captains, they have 3000 Euros
DeleteThis is lots of money for state owned company If we compare that doctors, professors and scientist in institutions does not earn even close to this sums. If Croatia Airlines would be private company then owner can give to a pilot 20.000 eur monthly sallary... But lets face it, lots of people works and does not get even salaries regullary, others who works gets ccca 400-500eur most of them...
DeleteCroatia Airlines emplyees does not have right to strike, because they are overpayed!
Don't bullshit. Minimum salary in Croatia is 400 EUR. Average brutto salary in Croatia is 1.060 EUR, and netto 811 EU.
DeleteCan Croatias new President get rid of Kucko or is it down to Parliament? If the PM and Parliament he will stay. However having said this the company has been turned around in some respect, it has started to make a profit and will expand again once allowed. Many people on here do not understand that as an EU country Croatia has to adhere to certain practices, something Serbia doesn't or won't have to regarding Air Serbia and Etihads investment. People whinge that it's Kuckos fault airlines like LX and KL fly to ZAG taking away OU's monopoly, this is just stupid talk as it is called competition, it is 2015 and not 1975 in the darkest days of Communism. Should BA not to fly Paris as AF fly to Heathrow, or AZ not fly to Madrid as IB flys to Rome,of course not!!!!
ReplyDeleteYeah but personally I think it's good that Serbia doesn't have to follow EU regulations on state subventions. Any new airlines needs financial assistance until its standing firmly on its feet.
DeleteLet's also not forget that OU got state aid just before the country's entry into the EU.
@AnonymousJanuary 24, 2015 at 12:36 PM
DeleteParliament or PM. President has no power in Croatia, it is only a ceremonial duty and office, president is sent around to entertain important dignitaries and visitors, such as presidents of other states, important industrialist. Priminister is the main head of State and ultimately buck stops with him, but parliament could call for OU boss to be removed if enough votes can be gathered, otherwise PM can sack CEO, but needs a reason for that.
If things are to continue like that, OU is to go bankrupt, period.
DeleteBilo kuda korupcija svuda, vidi se na tabli na fotografiji. Zar nam nisu rekli da u je u EU vladavina zakona i više nema korupcije?
Deleteso what do OU pilots then make, not including per diems (that is never a pay in my opinion)??
ReplyDeleteUNOFFICIAL ADRIA's STATISCTIS for 2014 and January 2015
ReplyDeletein 2014 Adria had
1.111.863 pax +8% on 2013
19.128 flights -2% on 2013
There was 4% less scheduled flights but 7% more scheduled pax. This is increase of pax per scheduled flight for 11,3%.
in January 2015 it is estimated
2% more flights and 6% more pax (around 65000).
Charters are up due to a lot of them flown from PRN. Also more scheduled pax but this is due to more flights operated - pax per scheduled flight descreased for 1%.
For summer 2015 it is planned
1x A320 out of Pristina
1x A320 out of Ljubljana for charters
2x A319 out of Ljubljana for scheduled flights
6x CRJ9 out of Ljubljana for scheduled flights
1x CRJ7 out of Lodz for scheduled flights
1x CRJ2 for ad hoc charter flights (sport clubs, automobile companies etc)
Will be a busy summer, hopefully this will increase pax numbers and revenue.
Megalomaniac plan by Adria CEO :)
DeletePRN is very hot lately with competition easyjet, germanwings & co.
We will see what will goes on in end of november 2015...
And for Tirana?
DeleteTirana is served by the A320 from PRN (PRN-FRA-TIA-FRA-PRN) and CRJ9 from LJU (LJU-TIA-BRU/CDG/FRA-TIA-LJU)
Delete@Sky
Deleteas I remember , adria cabin crew serving PRN flights are from Kosovo and from LJU.
How is with pilots?
Nije nista kriv Kucko a radnici.
ReplyDeleteValjda je nece strajkovati dovoljno je 10 dana strajka i da CTN bude u minusu.
INN-NS
I ti bi bio presrećan.
DeleteNebi bio srecan nego covek uziva sad dala mu rodjena drzava .
DeleteINN-NS
Can I just say that this decision about strikes was made after everyone realized Kucko isn't going anywhere. There was hope he will be leaving this year but now there is no chance. He will stay until elections. So there is no hope for new CEO until spring next year probably unless they sell Croatia Airlines before that.
ReplyDeleteOT : BWA's F-GYAN A321 is heading to SJJ. It seems like BWA will definitely start tomorrow. Thumbs up !
ReplyDeleteHopefully, wish them good luck!
DeleteOT, interesting topic on the front page of airliners.net:
ReplyDeleteAir Serbia Starting Transatlantic Service?
http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/general_aviation/read.main/6294778/
Ja o tome odavno pricam ali narod voli da se smeje ;)
DeleteINN-NS
@INN
DeleteYou havnt said much neither has the article on airliners. Everyone knows the goal of JU is to return Trans Atlantic flights. People laugh at you because you take it into the level of 'I have connections who said this and that'. Every airline has galley gossip. I was told from a couple of people working in JU that the A330 is coming in october 2014, its almost february 2015 and still no A330. You first said march, then april, then its delayed. They still havnt done the feasibility research. JAT sent crew several years ago in Sweden for B767 training, there was a B762 waiting delivery for JAT, schedule for JFK and YYZ, I believe even tickets on sale and it was cancelled. Before that it was with the DC10 for JNB and YYZ or JFK, tickets sold, and cancelled. Lets wait and see.
As JoKeR says in the article, regional network is way too thin to connect for future long haul, even A3 who is MUCH larger is holding back until they open a few more short haul destinations.
"They still havnt done the feasibility research"
DeleteYour "credibility" went down the drain with this statement.
And you are an expert right? Industry insider.
DeleteSamo se tjesite SVI. Prekovise "demokracije" je razlog ovom rezultatu. Sta je bilo fino kada je "najmanji radnik" imao platu 1000 dinara a "najveci radnik" 7000 dinara (znaci 7 puta vise) i to na nivou drzave. TO JE BILA DEMOKRATIJA (demos = volja naroda). A sada je razlika izmedju najmanjeg i najveceg 700 puta....
ReplyDelete