Cargolux

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, many recommendations and precautionary measures have been communicated to management, of which the majority has been implemented by now. Still, the feedback of our members who are operating in today’s environment unveils some shortcomings and shows that some items are either inadequately addressed or haven’t been considered in management´s risk analysis so far. We continue to communicate those to management to safeguard the health of our members and their families, but also to ensure a continued operation.

Please read below the latest letter that was sent on Sunday, 05 April 2020 – based on your concerns raised in several emails – and the reply from the CEO.

Letter to CEO 05 April 2020
Reply from CEO 07 April 2020

Hotel in SIN
To maintain the operation into SIN, local authorities imposed strict rules for pilots on a layover. Based on that information a letter was sent to management with the request to stop all layovers in SIN to avoid pilots being confined in a little hotel room. Please see below communication.

Letter to CEO 29 March 2020
Reply from CEO 31 March 2020
Letter to CEO 01 April 2020
Reply from CEO 02 April 2020

According to the latest Flight Crew Advisory this is now also the case in BKK. Please do not hesitate to contact your Board, in case you have any concerns regarding a planned layover in SIN or BKK under the given restriction.

Hotels during COVID-19
Recently at some of our destinations crew hotels closed because of the crisis and we expect that this will continue due to the current situation. Despite these unprecedent times, it is not acceptable that management is not following agreed procedures when deciding on new hotels and that the Hotel Committee is neither informed nor consulted. In many other areas we have seen good cooperation with management during this crisis and it is very unfortunate and disappointing that as far as hotels are concerned this cooperation doesn’t seem to be possible.

We specifically asked that the Procurement Department follows the Hotel Policy, provides clear response about all hotels on their plans to remain open or not, coordinates with the Hotel Committee in advance on risky destinations to find suitable alternatives and provides clear indication on what deficiencies have evolved at the current hotels.

Here are the letters for your reference:

Letter to CFO 29 March 2020
Reply from CFO 30 March 2020
Letter to CFO 07 April 2020

With all these changes, hotel management and front-desk staff, are not familiar with our operation and the ongoing delays. Please inform them not to disturb you when you have the “Do Not Disturb” sign hanging on your door.

Additionally, we still ask that you carefully assess your fitness to operate and any requirement for additional rest. In case extra rest is required, please file a Fatigue Report. Furthermore, please send in Voyage Reports on any deficiencies of hotels according to the CWA Table 14: Hotel Standard Criteria.

Some colleagues took the effort to compile information of local changes in regard to hotels at various destinations. Please bear in mind that this information is informal only and might already be outdated as the situation changes quickly nowadays.

The Hotel Committee will continue updating this document when it receives updates on cvhotels@alpl.lu

Please find below an update regarding:

• COVID-19
• Peer Support
• Hotels
• Rotation Changes

COVID-19
Over the last few days we received a huge number of concerns from our members regarding various issues we are facing while keeping the operation moving during the present crisis. These concerns include foremost the situation in the US, which is quickly deteriorating, the availability of suitable hotels for crew layovers and the situation in Singapore, where we would be confined within a hotel room on layover.

Most of your concerns have been forwarded to the different levels of management multiple times over the past days and weeks, either in meetings, by emails or letters. All these communications highlighted the risks we as pilots are exposed to and potential consequences if these risks would not be addressed in adequate and timely manner, which must be acceptable to the pilot community.

Please refer to the letters below for further details on the issues brought forward to management over the past weekend:

Letter USA
Letter Hotels and management’s reply
Letter SIN  

While a number of issues have already been addressed and are appreciated, some still require attention and a swift response by management.

Peer Support
You have received an email from the Cargolux Peer Support Advisory Group and the Delegation. It is important to underscore the role of the Peer Support System in this crisis. The peers are trained to provide “psychological first aid”, providing assistance to help you coping with this highly stressful situation. 

The peers should not be seen as any alternative way to make your concerns heard about the present situation via a different channel. All operational issues, e.g. avoiding layovers in certain areas, procedures to prevent infection, etc. should only be addressed via your ALPL Board.

Hotels
During the COVID-19 crises, many hotel managements are being asked by their owners to alter or even close down with short notices. Although we have urged our Senior Management to keep the Hotel Committee informed about their plans, there have been quite a few changes of crew hotels on short notice without involving the Hotel Committee.

We are concerned about this practice of bypassing the Hotel Committee, which could lead to a considerable deterioration of the crew hotel standards and negatively affect the safety our crews. Particularly in such difficult times as in the COVID-19 crisis, a collaboration with the pilot representation on hotels issues would show the well needed trust and recognition.

To assist all members, we would like to ask you to provide feedback to cvhotels@alpl.lu of any closures or changes to conditions etc. in a short format. If there are deficiencies, please always complete an iQSMS Voyage Report.  
 
Rotation Changes
As we ask Senior Management to address the collective concerns of the health risks and external factors that are imposed on the operation, the rotations through various regions are going to be adapted. We wish to highlight again some key points to assist you all in avoiding the potential risk of fatigue that we highlighted in our members update on 12 March 2020.

• Please be mindful of the requirement that ALL fellow crew members need to be adequately rested prior to the commencement of any FDPs that are potentially fatiguing.

• Inflight rest is not the same as rest in accommodation where temperature, noise and light can be managed.

• Obtaining the maximum possible sleep as close as possible to the wake-up call for ALL pilots is fundamental due to the potential need of using FDP discretion to avoid layovers in mainland China.

• If additional rest is required before the commencement of an FDP or after an FDP please communicate and coordinate in a timely manner with your fellow crew members, local station, crew control and always submit an Air Safety (Fatigue) Report (ASR).

• Air Safety (Fatigue) Report (ASR) must always be submitted when fatigue has been experienced on any duties.

As always, if you need further guidance or have any questions please contact cvboard@alpl.lu

Raising numbers of coronavirus cases, death tolls, governments announcing partial or even complete lock downs, restrictions, curfews, etc … COVID-19 and its impact on societies and global economy clearly dominates the media and the daily news. In these unprecedent times where the entire world is upside down, our work and engagement are continuously guided by the ALPL´s mission statement:

Flight Safety and Pilot’s Health,
Pilots’ Social Rights, and
Job Security and Working Conditions.

Ironically, in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, pilot´s health goes hand in hand with job security. We will therefore continue to urge management to implement precautionary measures based on recommendations of health experts and your feedback with the aim to keep the risks at a minimum. This is what we have been doing since the beginning of the crisis and we continue to adjust as the situation changes, sometimes on a daily basis. 

To keep you in the loop, please click on the below links to read the recent communication, which includes many valid points based on your feedback:

Crew Request for COVID-19 Measures (19 March 2020)
Commercial Positioning of Crew Members (23 March 2020)
Necessity to protect the employees during COVID-19 Operation (24 March 2020)

BUT, pushing only management to implement measures, change layovers and rotations is not enough!

• Every single pilot at Cargolux has the social responsibility to acknowledge and follow ALL recommendations and instructions published by the company, governments and health experts.
• Every fellow colleague must trustfully apply all precautionary measurements at home, at work, in the supermarket, at the gas station when refuelling the car, during a layover… simply anywhere and anytime!
• It is also the ultimate responsibility of everyone to immediately report sick at the first sign of any symptoms irrespective where that might be. Rest assured, you will get the full support by the ALPL board and the company.

The entire world is faced with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and we see additional restrictions and precautionary measures being put in place by various countries almost on a daily basis. The aim clearly is to minimize the risks of getting infected and to avoid a breakdown of the health system to ensure that serious cases can get the treatment that is required.

Reading and listening to the news and facts that are available to all of us, it becomes obvious that we have to accept the fact that there is no absolute guarantee not to get infected anywhere, be it down route or simply at home. The risks are real, however, what we all can do is to minimize these risks by observing ALL recommendations and instructions published by the company, governments and health experts. It is the responsibility of each and every one to acknowledge and follow all of these recommendations! Not only while being on a trip, but also at home! 

We have a few colleagues who are affected by COVID-19, be it either because they have been positively tested, or they have been in contact with an affected colleague and put on a precautionary watch.

In all cases the company has been informed and the appropriate emergency response procedure was followed.

Additionally, we would like to remind you of the following:

• • As crew we have to operate in a closed environment, whether we are in the air at FL 350 or on the ground having mechanics, load controllers, cleaners come on board. Be polite and kindly ask each person entering the upper deck to come one at a time so as to minimize the risks of being too close to each other and to maintain the required segregation.

• • Also, when on a layover we urge you to apply ALL recommendations and maintain the required physical segregation when socializing and talking to other colleagues. The information can be found in the dedicated “Coronavirus (COVID-19)” folder, which is located in the SCL on the iPad under “Health and Safety Information”.

• • While on a trip, please refrain from socializing with someone not being your colleague as it increases the risk of spreading the virus tremendously. This is a real threat!

• At many destinations it is recommended or even required to stay in the hotel, please adhere to this.

Please bear in mind that following these rules is absolutely essential! Any uncontained COVID-19-outbreak within the pilot community could have catastrophic consequences not only to the company’s business model but would also affect your and your colleague’s private lives in a similar manner.

We do maintain a close dialogue with management, where we are provided with regular updates and we also provide feedback to collectively manage this crisis. Attached is our latest recommendation to management that will assist us in keeping the operation moving as safely and healthy as possible. A recommendation not to split up crews while on a rotation was also passed on to management.

Below we provide you with an important update regarding the different certificates needed to cross the borders between Luxembourg and Belgium, France or Germany.

Please keep in mind that, like with anything else in these days, things may change at last minute and may not have been communicated to or known by Cargolux or us. The information below was accurate on 18 March 2020 at 22.15UTC.

Your registered address with Cargolux is in Luxembourg
If your address on file with HR is located in Luxembourg, you will not receive any form or certificate for border crossings.
If you have registered your temporary accommodation e.g. “crash-pad” in Luxembourg with HR, but actually are commuting to Luxembourg from any other country, you must contact HR. Please do so via email at hr@cargolux.com and request what HR refers to as “World Certificate“. This is a generic form, which certifies that you are employed by Cargolux and that your services are needed. This form is intended to help you crossing the borders when commuting to/from Luxembourg.

Your registered address with Cargolux is in Germany
On Wednesday 18 March 2020, HR sent to each pilot, with a residence in Germany as per their records on file with HR, a new certificate [link]. This new certificate is based on the official form provided by Germany’s Federal Police (Bundespolizei). Please check if you have received it at your Cargolux email account.

Your registered address with Cargolux is in Belgium
HR sent to each pilot with a residence in Belgium as per their records on file with HR, the certificate for cross-border workers residing in Belgium [link]. Please check if you have received it at your Cargolux email account.

Your registered address with Cargolux is in France
HR sent to each pilot with a residence in France as per their records on file with HR the certificate for cross-border workers residing in France [link]. As far as we know, there are additional form(s) required for cross-border workers residing in France. More information is available here. Please check if you have received all required certificates at your Cargolux email account.

You are asked to contact HR immediately if you have not received the required documents for your particular situation. In case you have any questions or need assistance, please contact HR preferably at hr@cargolux.com. Please keep in mind that the HR department is also affected by the requirement to work from home.

Important:
Please carry the relevant certificate(s) and your Luxembourg social security card with you at all times.

As you all know by now, one of our colleagues was tested positive for the Coronavirus in ANC and put into quarantine there on Friday.

From the very beginning we have been in close contact with our colleague and Management to support him and to ensure that proper procedures for dealing with such a situation were put in place.

We are pleased to tell you that the company and local authorities are taking good care of him and that he is in good shape. We have also been in contact with another colleague who is on a precautionary watch in ORD.

We maintain a close dialogue with management and please rest assured that each employee’s wellbeing, pilots and ground staff, is the companies nr.1 priority. Given the current situation in Europe as well as in other parts of the world it is possible that we will be potentially faced with more cases in the future. This has turned into an extreme crisis that has to be managed collectively so we can weather the storm.

Please continue to observe all recommendations and instructions published by governments, health experts and also the company to minimize exposure and the risk of getting infected. Information on the Coronavirus COVID-19 can also be found in the dedicated “Coronavirus (COVID-19)” folder, which is found in the SCL on the iPad under “Health and Safety Information”.

If you are affected in any way, please contact us via email at cvboard@alpl.lu so that we can provide you with support.

Please find below an update regarding

• COVID-19
• Clarification on payout of Swiss Life Supplementary Pension
• Notification during RES

COVID-19
The ongoing COVID-19 epidemic has an impact not only on our professional life and how flights are being conducted during this crisis but increasingly also on our private lives. Pilot Representatives are monitoring the situation and are closely in touch with EXCOM, the Chief Pilots Office and the OHSE department to ensure that the risk of an infection and the consequences thereof are kept at a minimum.

Please find below 3 letters that were sent to the CEO, the EVP Flight Operations and Chief Pilot since end of February 2020.

Letter from LCGB to the CEO (28 February 2020)
Letter from Pilot Representatives to the Chief Pilot (5 March 2020)
Letter from Pilot Representatives to the EVP Flight Operations (11 March 2020)

We also recommend to read the information provided in the dedicated Coronavirus (COVID-19) folder, which can be found in the SCL on the iPad under “Health and Safety Information” as well as checking the following links for additional information: 

www.government.lu
Cargolux OHSE department

Furthermore, in the January Members Update we provided feedback on Fatigue Warnings that have been issued by Crew Control from various potentially fatiguing Flight Duty Periods (FDP).

Since the escalation of the COVID-19 many flights to potential hotspot areas, such as mainland China, have been adapted by using augmented crew operation to avoid layovers.

Although we welcome this proactive approach of the CPO to minimize the risk for our crews to be exposed to COVID-19, many of you have noticed that the augmented crew FDP lengths are close to the EASA limits.

Even in times of a viral crisis, potential fatigue remains an issue that needs to be safeguarded/mitigated. This is especially true on FDPs including multiple short sectors with resulting marginal sleeping opportunities. Being forced to use discretion in case of unforeseen delays and thereby avoiding a layover in mainland China would also increase the risk of fatigue.

We would like to provide some guidance on how to manage this extraordinary situation and some insight on how these operations are being conducted.

• Augmented Crew Operations
  Please be aware that many of these augmented crew operations (3 or 4 pilots) will be combined with pilots coming from different destinations. It is therefore important to communicate with each other before such demanding duties in order to streamline the expectations of everybody involved and to ensure that ALL pilots are adequately rested before doing these exceptional FDP’s.

  An example of a difficult augmented FDP is ALA-PEK-XMN-BKK. Three sectors with 4 pilots where coordination amongst all pilots is vital to ensure that inflight rest opportunities are distributed efficiently to enable the most rested pilots at the controls when taking off and landing. Such FDP also requires a double crew as per the CWA.

• Potential Fatigue Mitigation
  The initial plan by the CPO to augment the OVB-PVG-OVB FPDs with 4 pilots was now revised to 3 pilots due to the restrictions on crew availability. Many countries are applying various measures preventing full flexibility of the pilot community when operating through e.g. China, Italy or South Korea.

  The data we have collected in the past showed these types of FDPs created potential fatigue hotspots because these long duties were combined with minimum rests. Planning greater rest-buffers before and after these FDPs allows the possibility to complete these FDPs through mainland China and the following duties in a safe manner.

• Conclusion
  • • Please be mindful of the requirement that ALL fellow crew members need to be adequately rested prior to the commencement of any FDPs that are potentially fatiguing.
  • • Inflight rest is not the same as rest in accommodation where temperature, noise and light can be managed.
  • • Obtaining the maximum possible sleep as close as possible to the wake-up call for ALL pilots is fundamental due to the potential need of using FDP discretion to avoid layovers in mainland China.
  • • If additional rest is required before the commencement of an FDP or after an FDP please communicate and coordinate in a timely manner with your fellow crew members, local station, crew control and always submit an Air Safety (Fatigue) Report (ASR).
  • Air Safety (Fatigue) Report (ASR) must always be submitted when fatigue has been experienced on any duties.

As always if you need further guidance please contact cvboard@alpl.lu

Clarification on payout of Swiss Life Supplementary Pension
We would like to correct our statement in the February Members Update in regard to the Swiss Life Supplementary Pension pay out options, where we stated that it will not be longer possible to have the vested rights payed out when the affiliated person is still employed with Cargolux.

In general, complementary pension plans are only paid out once the employee goes into retirement or reaches retirement age.

However, as the Swiss Life Supplementarey Pension Scheme for crews is limited to age 60, the payout can be executed “immediately” at age 60 with the approval of the IGSS (Inspection Générale de la Sécurité Sociale).

According to Cargolux Payroll Department, every month the names of employees leaving Cargolux or pilots reaching age 60 are communicated to Swiss Life. Those will then be contacted by Swiss Life via postal mail to start the payout procedure.

Notification during RES
As it is not specifically defined in the CWA, which type of notification should be used, if a crewmember receives a duty during a Reserve duty, please note that crew control sometimes only sends an email to the affected crewmember without calling by phone.

To ensure that the newly assigned duty was noted and to clarify when the notification time of 18 hours starts, it is our opinion that crew control should call the pilot by phone in these cases.

This has also been communicated to the Chief Pilots Office.

With great sadness we mourn the passing away of our former colleague, member and friend Captain Henri Stephano

The Know Your CWA page has been updated by adding information regarding Scheduling Rules for Standby and Contactability.

Click here or on the ‘CWA’ menu item to access this page.

Please find below an update regarding:

• SwissLife
• TZC Court Case
• V-Days

SwissLife
We would like to give you a summary concerning the Amendments to the Regulations of the Supplementary Pension & Death & Disability Insurance Scheme valid since 01/01/2018.

Please click here to download the document that was signed in March 2019. Below you will find the respective endorsements.

In total three Endorsements have been signed by CV management after consulting the Employees Delegation and the Pilot Representatives in 2019. These are:

1. Endorsement
   The Affiliate acquires his/her rights to the Supplementary Pension Benefits after a Vesting period of 3 years, instead of 4,5 years (Article 21)[LINK].
2. Endorsement
   Due to a change in the Luxembourgish Law, the Paragraphs 23.2. and 23.3. had to be adjusted to reflect the new law related to the pay-out options [LINK].

   Since August 2018 it is only possible to have the value at leaving date of his/her Acquired Rights paid out immediately

• if the Affiliate is changing activity and is no longer affiliated to the Luxembourg health insurance, or
• if the accumulated savings do not exceed 3 times the minimum monthly social salary for an unskilled worker aged at least 18.

In other words, this means that by law it is not possible anymore to have the money paid out above age 60 as long as someone still is employed with Cargolux or any other company affiliated to the Luxembourg health insurance.

3. Endorsement
   The method of calculating the yearly employer’s contributions has changed. From 01 of January 2020 onwards not only the year of birth but also the month of birth will be taken into account for the calculation of the Annual Net Investment Contributions under Article 20.2.1. [LINK]

   This reflects the change of the formula that was suggested by the IGSS (Inspection Générale de la Sécurité Sociale) in a letter received on 25 October 2016, after the ALPL Divisional Board has asked for clarification in regard to a possible discrimination of affiliates based on their age at the renewal date. Unfortunately, it was not possible to back-date this amendment, which means that only future calculations will be affected by the new formula.

TZC Court Case
Since the implementation of the EASA FTLs the ALPL is active in contesting the interpretation of CS.FTL.1.235 (b) (3) (i), an article that determines the minimum number of local nights required for time zone compensation after completion of a rotation.

Although we were able to clarify the correct calculation of the maximum time difference in the recent negotiations for the new CWA, the main issue, calculating the “time elapsed” for determining the minimum local nights of rest at home base, remained unsolved. Applying the, in our opinion, incorrect interpretation of “…for the first FDP in a Rotation involving at least 4-hour time difference…” occasionally leads to absurd results, awarding different numbers of local nights of rest to pilots who crossed the same time zones during a rotation.

Since the DAC-L does not share our point of view and therefore did not intervene, we finally decided to take the issue to court. FTLs are a European legislation, therefore our aim was to involve the European Court which has the final authority in interpreting any European legislation. To initiate the proceedings, we had to start at a national level by contesting the DAC-L interpretation of this rule at the administrative court of Luxembourg. Ultimately, our goal was to enforce a preliminary decision by the European Court, which would have been binding for all EU member states. 

Unfortunately, the lawsuit, involving ECA, EASA and various legal specialists, was not successful. In our opinion the court fundamentally misunderstood the legal issue behind the problem and violated European law, by not involving the European Court to obtain a preliminary decision. 

Since all legal means on a national level have been exhausted, the only possibility to reverse this decision would be the initiation of breach-of-contract proceedings against Luxembourg, which only can be done by the European Commission.

We are currently still analyzing the situation with our lawyers in order to prepare further steps involving ECA, EASA and the European Commission. 

V-Days
In a meeting with the Chief Pilot on 06 February 2020 we discussed the reviewed V-Day allocation. It is worth mentioning that the data that was provided by the Crew Planning Department and published in the February edition of the Chief Pilots Office Newsletter in general matches with the data that we collected and that the individual success rate went up. However, these rates are still far from the approval rates of previous years.

We again highlighted the original purpose of the V-Days, namely, to assist colleagues with relative low seniority to have the off days connected to a short vacation period to give them an opportunity to plan vacation already well ahead of the monthly roster publication, which was acknowledged by the CPO.

It therefore was decided to start exploring different ways to achieve higher approval rates in the future and to have the current bidding and allocation process reviewed. This will be done in close collaboration with the ALPL Vacation Committee.