Adria pilots plan November 30 strike

Adria pilots schedule strike at a critical time for the airline

Pilots at Slovenia's flag carrier Adria Airways have announced a strike for November 30 over an impasse in the ongoing collective bargaining talks. The strike will run between 5.00 in the morning and midnight with employees to gather at the airline's operative centre at Ljubljana Airport, the Pilots' Trade Union announced yesterday. The industrial action is being blamed on the stalled collective bargaining talks after the management cancelled the old collective agreement regarding pay and work conditions for pilots. The trade union is demanding for an increase in wages and for the management to tackle violations of the cancelled collective agreement, which continues to be used until a new one is negotiated. Previously, Adria's cabin crew planned to go on strike in June but later called it off following a provisional deal with the management.

In October 2014, Adria’s trade unions were informed that all collective agreements would be annulled if they failed to agree to new cost cutting measures by the end of the year. Since all of the airline’s unions rejected the measures, the collective agreements have now been terminated, while terms of the new agreements are still being negotiated. Adria remains hopeful the industrial action can be averted. However, the carrier criticised the union for its strike announcement, saying it was "unnecessary", noting the difficult times the carrier finds itself in. Furthermore, the management said pilots have been offered a 7.5% salary increase and more flexible working conditions in order to boost productivity. It adds that, in contrast, the demands of the pilots were unacceptable.

Meanwhile, the airline is in the process of being privatised with a shareholders' meeting due later this month to decide on an eight million euro capital injection, which could come from a potential buyer. However, the Slovenian daily "Dnevnik" says shareholders will discuss the capital hike as early as today, noting that they are unlikely to endorse the deal if a sales agreement with a potential investor is not signed beforehand. A foreign investment fund is said to be the front-runner for the acquisition of a 91.6% stake in the airline.

On Monday, Adria began operating flights out of the Estonian capital Tallinn following the demise of Estonian Air. In an agreement with the newly established Estinian national carrier Nordic Aviation Group, Adria will provide full commercial and operational support. Furthermore, the deal also sees the incorporation of three of Estonian Air's Bombardier CRJ900 and two CRJ700 aircraft. The Slovenian carrier is expected to operate the flights over the next twelve to eighteen months and will consider a further long-term alliance with Nordic Aviation. Adria has already netted 20.000 bookings until March 2016 for the Tallinn-based flights and handled 2.610 passengers yesterday morning since taking over from Estonian Air. The opening of a new market for the Slovenian carrier could make it more appealing to potential investors.