Cargolux Board

We would like to inform you that the LCGB decided together with the OGBL to take the next step in the CWA negotiations and initiate the conciliation process, as defined in the Luxembourgish labor law. Thus, a letter to the Office National de Conciliation (ONC) was sent by both Unions on 17 February 2023 asking for their involvement in the current labor negotiations in Cargolux. 
 
The basis of this decision lies in the still unresolved disagreement in multiple key claims between the two parties. After being in the 6^th month of negotiations in which we attended 15 meetings we haven’t made any progress except on some smaller claims and clarifications.
 
From the beginning, your negotiation team together with the Unions were fully prepared and willing to engage into serious talks with the aim to reach an agreement in a timely manner. While we are striving for an acceptable solution, we are always keeping in mind the mandate we received from you!
 
At the same time and to avoid any further escalation, we see an urgent necessity for management to stop their stalling-strategy and to give the negotiation-process the priority it deserves. The involvement of the ONC serves the purpose to find acceptable solutions for the identified problems and concerns and to solve the impasse.
 
We will keep you informed about any further development. 

ALPL and Associazione Piloti Cargolux Italia (APCI) are glad to announce the signing of a Cooperation Agreement.

Cargolux Italia has been a hot topic for all Cargolux pilots since it started operation in 2009. 
 
The initial plan from management to operate one aircraft on the Italian AOC with Cargolux pilots under the terms of the Cargolux CWA and to wet lease out further capacity to Cargolux Italia if needed was supported by most Cargolux pilots to enable the Company to benefit from the Italian cargo market.
 
However, the situation changed dramatically in 2014/2015, when Cargolux management used Cargolux Italia as a leverage in the CWA negotiations and transferred three additional aircraft to Italy within nine months.
 
Today Cargolux Italia operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Cargolux Airlines S.A. with centralized commercial sales, operations control, network planning functions and recruitment process, but without a negotiated Collective Work Agreement and under different terms and conditions.
 
For some years ALPL have been in close contact with the colleagues at Cargolux Italia and provided support in their efforts to build up their own representative body. What went on quietly resulted in the foundation of the Associazione Piloti Cargolux Italia (APCI), who got recently engaged in negotiations with the Italian management for the first Cargolux Italia collective work agreement ever.
 
Looking into the future, Cargolux ALPL Divisional Board and APCI Board agree that the tactical separation of both pilot groups by their respective managements must be avoided.
 
Furthermore, it is the common position of the Boards of ALPL and APCI that ultimately all pilots in both airlines shall be employed under the framework of the Luxembourg collective work agreement to ensure commonality of working conditions and provide career perspective for all pilots in the Cargolux Group. In addition to this, it must be ensured that any changes to the allocation of capacity (i.e., number of aircraft) assigned to the respective airlines should have no negative impact to the job security, career progression or employment opportunities for the members of ALPL and APCI.
 
To underscore this position and to send a clear signal to the managements of Cargolux and Cargolux Italia, ALPL and APCI signed a cooperation agreement.
 
Thanks to this agreement any member of APCI in good standing will automatically be recognized as an Associate Member of ALPL in accordance with the terms and conditions of ALPL statutes. They can be declared by ALPL for the purpose of votes or fees relating to ECA/IFALPA affiliation and they could join the insurance scheme of APPN or became members of it. In practice APCI will function similar to current Divisional Bodies in ALPL.
 
The close cooperation between Cargolux ALPL Board and the APCI should help to prevent what has happened in the past and what is most likely the intention of management now and in the future, namely, to use the existence of both airlines as a leverage in the respective CWA negotiations and to play off both pilot groups against each other.
 
For clarification, this development does not change the position in the ongoing negotiations and the claim to protect the jobs and career perspective of all pilots working for Cargolux Luxembourg and Cargolux Italia by maintaining the current number of airplanes.

The agreement is to be seen as part of our strategy in the mid and long term to mitigate and in best case even eliminate the threat of outsourcing and social dumping in the future. 

Following the last negotiation meetings on 18 and 19 January 2023 and due to the slow progress of the negotiations, the Unions requested to have two additional meetings at the beginning of February.

In this Debrief edition we provide our members with an update about the last meetings, which took place on 01 and 02 February 2023 and where we stand in these negotiations.

On 18 January 2023 a further CWA negotiation meeting addressing pilot related claims took place followed by a meeting on 19 January 2023 addressing common claims of interest to both pilots and ground staff. In this Debrief edition we provide our members with an update about these meetings and where we stand in this negotiation.

a few weeks ago, China decided to scrap its COVID-19 rules and to reopen the country without almost any notable restrictions after having had in place one of the most restrictive COVID-19 policies worldwide for more than two years. 
 
Shortly thereafter, also Hong Kong lifted its restrictions and basically overnight significantly relaxed its entry requirements.
 
Whilst we all certainly welcome these changes as a step towards normality, especially in connection with China, the extreme turnaround already leads to a tremendous increase of infections in mainland China and to an overload of their health care system. 
 
With this in mind, we decided to send a letter to the CEO and Flight Operation Management to underscore our position concerning a possible resumption of layovers in China, as well as to address the current layovers in HKG, where we ask to move back to the Shangri La latest after Chinese New Year.
 
Please click here to read the letter.

On 15 December 2022 a further CWA negotiation meeting addressing pilot related claims took place. In this Debrief edition we provide our members with an update about this meeting.

On 15 November 2022 a further CWA negotiation meeting addressing pilot related claims took place. In this Debrief edition we provide our members with an update about this meeting.

On 08 November 2022 a further CWA negotiation meeting took place. In this Debrief edition we provide our members with an update about this meeting.

On 20 October 2022 a further CWA negotiation meeting took place. In this Debrief edition we provide our members with an update about this meeting.

On 12 October 2022, Cargolux officially announced the order of 10 Boeing 777-8F aircraft to replace its fleet of Boeing 747-400Fs.

Since it is in the interest of all employees that these aircraft will be flown, maintained and administratively supported by Cargolux staff in Luxembourg within the framework of the existing CWA, LCGB and OGBL took the opportunity to publish a press release in this context.

Please click on below links to read the associated publications.

Communication from the Unions

Luxemburger Wort [DE]
Tageblatt [DE]
RTL [LU]
RTL Today [EN]
RTL 5 minutes [FR]
Le Quotidien [FR]