On 31 January 2014, the European Commission adopted a Regulation defining EU-wide rules on Flight Time Limitations (FTL) for European cabin crew and pilots. Thanks to the strong pressure of the European Transport Workers ’Federation (ETF) and other stakeholders, the original EASA proposal has been improved. A number of significant concerns for workers have been […]
The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), a grouping of trade unions representing 4.5m transport employees around the world, was never going to be Qatar’s biggest fan. Unions are banned in the ultra-rich Gulf state, where expatriates account for 94% of the total work force. Little wonder, then, that one disgruntled cabin-crew member at Qatar Airways […]
PALEA union, ITF affiliate in Philippines yesterday joined the ITF call for solidarity action to support Turkish Airlines (THY) workers. As THY doesn’t fly to Manila, PALEA members established a solidarity picket in front of the Turkish Airlines Sales Office in Ayala Avenue, Makati City. The area is the main business district in Metro Manila. PALEA […]
Pilots and cabin crew ask for rejection After a firm rejection in the EU Parliament Transport Committee, the flawed EU Commission proposal for Flight Time rules for pilots and cabin crew will be put to a vote at the next EP Plenary meeting. On 9 October mid-day, a vote by all Parliament Members in Strasbourg […]
A French court has fined Ryanair more than 8m euros (£6.7m) after ruling that it had broken local labour laws. The court found Ryanair acted illegally when it employed more than 120 staff on Irish contracts at its former Marseille operating hub between 2007 and 2010. The low-cost airline said it would appeal against the […]
European pilots and cabin crew welcome today’s (30 September 2013) decision of the EU Parliament Transport Committee to reject the Commission proposal for new flight time rules in Europe. With a large majority of 21 to 13 votes, the EP Members voted for the rejection of the proposal which contains several significant safety loopholes. The vote […]
Harmonisation of safety standards at EU level is an important aim in an industry that is by nature transnational. ETF and ECA are in favour of harmonized standards on FTL. But Europe’s citizens expect harmonization at the highest safety level, based on best practices and on scientific evidence. Not harmonization that forces countries to lower […]
On 22 August 2013, Edward Wytkind, president of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), made the following statement in support of the FAA’s final policy statement addressing flight attendant workplace safety in conjunction with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA): “Today’s [22th of August’s] announcement by the FAA means that America’s flight attendants who […]