By analyzing the feedback from our members during the last couple of months as well as through our own experience, we came to the conclusion, that the major problems regarding our CWA can be summarized in two areas:
- The lack of protection within the CWA against the inconsistent application of the EASA FTLs within our operation and
- Non-compliance of CWA rules by management.
Lack of protection
The responsibility for a safe flight operation has shifted dramatically towards the individual pilots, who find themselves more and more in a situation, where they are forced to choose between two serious decisions:
- Either asking for additional rest and therefore delaying the flight or
- Performing the FDP with an uncertain feeling of running into a fatigue issue at a later stage during the flight.
Furthermore, it has become a necessity for pilots to meticulously check their rosters for legality and CWA compliance when acknowledging a change in the PBS. The resulting request to crew control for legalizing the roster is frequently answered with the unsatisfactory appeasement that the roster will be changed again at a later stage.
The following points highlight the alarming development of the shift to a more unilateral responsibility of crew members:
- Certain recommendations from the Air Safety Department not being implemented
- Long double sector duties combined with minimum rest
- Back-to-back misused as a standby system
- Misinterpretation of the Time Zone Compensation table
- Incorrect application of the Delayed Reporting Procedure
- Legal limits used as planning targets
Non-Compliance
The board has identified several points where our current CWA is not respected:
- Ignoring the Roster Publication limit in the daily operation
- Rostering into CODs and VAC without even prior consulting the pilot
- Not respecting the combined positioning after FDP limit of 16/18 hours
- Excluding the hotel committee in the hotel selection process
- Booking to position on economy class while business class is available
In one instance during the high season, one crew controller even openly admitted, that the CWA conditions cannot be granted for the time being. We wonder whether this has ever changed?
The ALPL Board together with the Delegation has tried hard to achieve an improvement of the current situation by formally writing about these grievances to management, the DAC as well as by starting court cases. Individual results should not obscure the fact that the existing CWA can hardly cope with the safety threats from the EASA FTLs and definitely not when being constantly disrespected by management.
We need a CWA which enhances safety by creating adequate buffer to the EASA FTL limits and to assure that the regulations will be respected at any time. In addition, we need enforcement of the current and future CWAs to protect us from ‘planned overtime’ imposing us to fly on Off and Vacation Days.
Now, the above mentioned is only a portion of required improvements, which have been identified by our CWA survey in 2017 for the upcoming negotiations.
One thing that is important and cannot be emphasized enough is the certainty that nothing is for granted!
The current positive market environment and potential record breaking results by the company must not hide the fact that negotiations will be tough and each and everyone of us has to be ready and willing to fight and participate to achieve a good outcome!
We ask you to be ready to remain united in the near future not only to uphold your rights but also to fight for improvements!
