Trade unions at Charleroi airport threaten to strike | Domestic

According to the trade unionist, the airport management had announced a few months earlier that all employees would receive the bonus. The deposit should have been made in April, but according to the association, BSCA waited before signing an agreement on the matter.

The issue ended up on the negotiating table in September and, according to the unions, the management then indicated that the premium would be adjusted based on part-time work. That would have met with a lot of resistance from the staff and there would also have been more absences from work in July and August. For some employees, the adjustment would lower or eliminate the premium altogether, according to Yves Lambot. The staff reacts poorly to it, referring to “lies” from management.

The red and green unions (SETCa, FGTB, CSC-Transcom, CNE) therefore submitted a fifteen-day strike notice for both blue-collar and white-collar workers yesterday/Tuesday.

In a written response, management says it remains open to negotiations, but that it also wants to correct “certain incorrect information”. The condition to distribute the premium pro rata based on the presence of employees can also be found “in various sector protocols that are being negotiated,” it said. The management therefore regrets the union position, “because it threatens to have consequences for the employees, the airport, economic activity and the thousands of passengers at BSCA”.

Until the end of the week, the unions will inform their supporters about the developments and consult them. They will also consider the possibility of taking or discontinuing actions. If there is a work stoppage, this could concretely disrupt both the registration of travelers and baggage and the activities on the tarmac itself, such as baggage handling and refueling of aircraft.

Last week, for the fourth time in two months, there was a two-day strike by Ryanair pilots stationed in Charleroi.