The union of the cabin crew of Croatia Airlines has announced a strike that will begin on Friday. They are demanding that hours spent on training, medical examinations, and on-call duty be counted as working hours, reports the portal hrt.hr.
Management considers the demands unrealistic. They say that these are unacceptable as they would cause additional overtime hours and thus additional labor costs. This, they claim, is in complete contradiction to the government’s demands for cost reductions. The average salary at CA ranges from 5,000 to 12,000 kuna per month. Those who fly are also dissatisfied. They are still negotiating with management about their rights. They want more annual leave and more order in organizing the flight plan. Workers were also angered by a five percent salary reduction as they believe that savings could have been achieved differently.
Ines Baniček Vuk, president of the Workers’ Council of Croatia Airlines, says that the company has 100 directors and managers and 60 luxury cars that are used for private purposes. Ivan Mišetić, the CEO, says that CA has 1,100 employees, of which 31 have special contracts. Of the 66 cars, 42 are in daily operational use. In the afternoon, management issued a statement indicating that they signed a new collective agreement with 70 percent of the workers at the beginning of the month, which they claim has improved workers’ rights. Due to the global crisis, it is estimated that Croatia Airlines lost 10 million kuna every month last year. (hrt.hr)
