Brussels Airlines set for strike during EU summit
2022.06.16 18:01
FILE PHOTO: A Brussels Airlines aircraft taxis across the tarmac at Manchester Airport, Britain, September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Pilot and cabin crew unions of Brussels Airlines plan to strike on June 23-25, coinciding with a summit of European Union leaders in the Belgian capital next Thursday and Friday.
The unions of the airline, the Belgian subsidiary of Lufthansa, complain that work pressure is too high and that the company has been aware of the situation for around a year, without providing a solution.
No one at Brussels Airlines was immediately available for comment.
Paul Buekenhout of the ACV Puls trade union said the company had laid off staff in 2020 as part of restructuring forced by the COVID-19 pandemic and not adequately restaffed.
“The workload is too much,” he said. “In some cases, there are cabin crew doing 18 flights in five days. If you are too tired, there is a problem of safety.”
EU leaders will meet in Brussels on June 23-24 and are expected to address the issue of whether to grant Ukraine EU candidacy status.
