Who Flies Express – Not Yet Solved In October 2011, Iberia decided to launch a new subsidiary - Iberia Express - employing new pilots outside of Iberia Collective Labour Agreement. It did so even though SEPLA – the Spanish pilots’ association – had made alter- native proposals which would have saved more money than the setting up of a new subsidiary. Once the company started flying in March, SEPLA reacted to Iberia’s deliberate attempt to split the pilots of a same airline group. Following a four-month industrial conflict, the Spanish Government intervened to arbitrate Nico Voorbach, ECA President the disagreement – a step that had been welcome by the pilots. However, it seems that Iberia does not want to respect the arbitration. Pilots Standing Together The outcome of the arbitration is categorical: Iberia has the right to create a new company, but equally Iberia mainline pilots have In May, ECA, together with the Euro- the right to work for this new company – as in any subsidiary that might be pean Transport Workers’ Federation created in future. (ETF) organised a demonstration in Co- logne to show EASA our concerns on However, while both parties lost in this arbitration, Iberia’s management now the process to create new Flight Time tries to escape from its obligations. It is clear that this conflict has hurt the Limitation (FTL) rules. As you can read pilots’ terms and conditions, and the arbitration comes with a range of conces- in this Cockpit News EASA’s response was disappointing. Instead of taking the sions that require a considerable increase of their productivity. But pilots are ‘S’ in their name (S = Safety) seriously ready to accept this. In contrast, the company has decided to deny its loss and they seem to be working for commercial continues to hire pilots outside the scope of the arbitration resolution. rules rather than safe ones. This is bad news for the European travelling public. This blatant breach of the arbitration’s outcome is irresponsible. It shows that Do we need an accident due to fatigued pilots will have to continue their fight. But they are well prepared: during the pilots before EASA realise they are on the entire conflict they have been standing altogether, showing their unity against wrong track? We hope they will wake up this attempt to split them. They will continue to do so, to ensure that not only before this occurs. the pilots but both parties stick to what the arbitration imposed on them. Europe’s future FTL were also raised at the annual Conference of the Internation- al Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associa- 300+ Air Crew Demonstrate in tions, in early May in . Pilots from around the globe expressed concerns about the EU rulemaking process and Cologne… but Are not Heard! called for science-based FTL rules in a On 14 May, over 300 pilots and cabin crew from across Europe demonstrated joint statement issued by the leaders of in front of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in Cologne to express the SkyTeam Pilots’ Association (SPA), the Cockpit Crew Coalition their concerns regarding the Agency’s proposal for future rules on flight time (OCCC), the Associations of Star Alliance limitations. During the next two days, EASA held a technical stakeholder meet- Pilots (ASAP), IFALPA and ECA. ing to review the proposal. However, the disappointing outcome of the meeting showed that EASA did not hear the concerns raised two days before. During this Conference, ECA also held its Regional meeting, where ECA Mem- bers expressed their concern regarding Around 11:30 on 14 May, hundreds of European pilots the proposal for the so-called “Monti II” and cabin crew marched towards EASA. They warned the Agency that it will Commission’s regulation. This proposal be “Sleepwalking into disaster” if it stays on the path it has taken so far and if clearly takes away the fundamental right it does not align their proposal with what science shows to be safe. of employees to take collective actions – including strikes – by subordinating this In a joint speech, ECA’s President Nico Voorbach and ETF Political Secretary fundamental right to the EU’s freedom of François Ballestero reiterated pilots’ and cabin crew’s commitment to passen- establishment and the freedom to provide ger safety. They denounced the airlines’ strong lobbying to base future rules on services. ECA adopted a strong state- commercial interests rather than on scientific advice and flight safety. EASA’s ment rejecting this proposal and will seek Executive Director, Patrick Goudou, accepted to address the crowd for a short either substantial changes or its with- drawal. and rather general speech. He tried to reassure the pilots and cabin crew that the Agency’s first priority was still flight safety, rather than the operators’ ECA also expressed support to the Hun- commercial considerations. He then however refused to stay and respond to garian Pilots who lost their jobs during the concrete questions from the audience, and instead preferred to have a private bankruptcy of MALEV. The Hungarian meeting in his office. Government has not taken its responsi- bility to ensure that the company’s former At this meeting, ECA and ETF reiterated their request for a scientific assess- staff get the treatment they are legally ment of the latest proposal – a request that has been formally introduced to entitled to. EASA two months before, and to which no answer had been received since Finally you will read in this Cockpit news then. Mr Goudou, however rejected the request, claiming that such an assess- about the struggle of our Spanish Mem- ment would have no added-value for EASA’s work. Instead, EASA has already ber SEPLA on the establishment of Iberia all the answers they need. Clearly, EASA considers itself to have more exper- Express. Although a Spanish Govern- tise than the scientists themselves… ment sponsored arbitration, decreed that Iberia Express has to use Iberia pilots, it This impression was confirmed by EASA’s technical meeting, during the fol- seems Iberia continues to hire pilots out- lowing two days. The meeting was driven by the airlines cost arguments, whilst side the Iberia group to try to divide pilots. ECA’s and ETF’s science-based arguments were mostly rejected. The most SEPLA has ECA’s full support to get Ibe- likely outcome: EASA’s already insufficient proposal will be watered down even ria to abide by the terms of the arbitration. further. In a joint statement at the end of the meeting, ECA and ETF expressed their deep disagreement on the way the meeting went and on the Agency’s alarm- ingly open attitude towards the operators’ “concerted effort to weaken safety protections in order to lower airlines’ costs” The 300 air crew in front of EASA were a signal that we will not allow the Agency and other EU Institutions to ignore scientific evidence and take pas- senger safety lightly. So far, they have not been heard. This will have to change. The European Cockpit Association is For more information, please visit www.dead-tired.eu and sign the petition for the representative body of European safe pilot fatigue rules on http://flightdutytimes.eu/participate/ Pilots’ Associations. Based in Brussels, ECA represents over 38.000 pilots from across Europe.

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June 2012

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