Michael Kaiser No Comments

Members Update – May 2024

We would like to give you an update on the following topics:

  • Taxation of overtime for German Cross-Border Workers
  • Compliance with the CWA
  • ALPL Cargolux Divisional Assembly 2024 

Taxation of Overtime for German Cross-Border Workers
After consulting a tax lawyer regarding the recent changes to the double taxation agreement between Germany and Luxembourg, which we previously published in our members’ update on April 17, 2024, we have asked for a second opinion from another tax adviser. Unfortunately, this second opinion conflicts with the first, adding to the uncertainty and ambiguity surrounding this issue.

Given the inconsistency in the tax authorities’ approach, it appears increasingly likely that ultimately the courts will have to decide unless there is a political resolution in Luxembourg or an amendment to the double taxation agreement that clarifies the situation.

Compliance with the CWA
We were notified of an incident where a member was not properly compensated for a delayed arrival into the first vacation day, as stipulated in CWA Article 36.17.1. 

Fortunately, this issue was quickly resolved, and it was confirmed to be a mistake by the company. Considering this, we urge you to be familiar with the CWA and ensure its correct application. Despite advancements in automation, errors can still occur. We encourage you to remain vigilant and to get in touch with us if you need assistance.

ALPL Cargolux Divisional Assembly 2024
The 2024 Cargolux Divisional Assembly is scheduled for June 5, 2024. A detailed invitation and agenda will be sent out well in advance. As in previous years, members can attend the assembly either in person at the ALPL office or virtually via Zoom.

Michael Kaiser No Comments

Members Update – April 2024

We would like to provide you with important updates on several topics:

  • Wrong application of Flight Time Limitations
  • Funeral of Markus Gerneck
  • ALPL Divisional Assembly 2024
  • Taxation of Overtime for German Residents 

Wrong Application of Flight Time Limitations
It has come to our attention that there have been isolated instances where crew control did not adhere to the Flight Time Limitations for Standard and Augmented Crew Operations. Specifically:

  • For a Flight Duty Period (FDP) scheduled with a Standard Crew (1 Captain and 1 First Officer), Article 36.6.2.2 and Table 2 of the CWA must be followed. The FDP must always be planned within the Planning Limit outlined in Table 2. The published Operational Limit for the respective start of the FDP is only applicable in case of unforeseen circumstances ( e.g., loading delays, fueling delays, ATC slot) that occur after the reporting time. This limit should not be exceeded unless using Commander’s Discretion as per Article 36.12.
  • Extensions to the maximum FDP for a Standard Crew using in-flight rest are governed by Article 36.6.4 and Tables 6 to 9. Remember, a FDP covering 3 sectors requires a Standard Flight Crew plus 1 additional Captain and 1 First Officer. 

Please report any discrepancies in the application of the CWA by crew control to us so we can act on it.

Funeral of Markus Gerneck
The funeral for Markus Gerneck is scheduled at Pfarrkirche St. Johannes in Schleich at 10:30 AM on Friday, 19th April 2024. All colleagues who wish to attend are welcome.

ALPL Divisional Assembly 2024
Due to the social election and the formation of a new Delegation at Cargolux, planning for the 2024 Divisional Assembly has been delayed. It remains a priority on our agenda, and we will communicate the date as soon as it is finalized. We appreciate your understanding and patience.

Taxation of Overtime for German Residents
Following recent changes to the double taxation agreement between Germany and Luxembourg, we consulted a tax lawyer to clarify the implications for our fellow colleagues residing in Germany. 

As by his response, the amendment affects only paragraph 1 (pertaining to normal professions) and does not alter the provisions for pilots outlined in paragraph 4. For pilots, taxation continues solely in the country of the employer’s registered office without the option for salary splitting as in other cross-border professions.

If the legislators had intended for the overtime regulations to apply to pilots as well, they would have needed to include these provisions in a subsequent paragraph of Article 14, following the existing regulations for pilots.

For a detailed explanation, please click here to read the complete response.

Michael Kaiser No Comments

Hotel Committee Update – April 2024

We would like to share some updates on:

Catering
We are happy to announce that Cargolux Senior Management has approved the purchase of a Catering App! This App will allow us to individually order meals and set preferences before flights. Once implemented we will start to use it ex LUX.

We were also able to change the catering provider in CGO to increase food quality. Catering was tested and reviewed in LUX resulting in bigger hot meals with different variety. The lids on the hot meals can be used in our ovens and are heat certified. They are made of a biodegradable material and not plastic. We hope that you perceive those changes as an improvement and if you feel to send us your feedback, please include the meal no. in the Voyage Report.

The current onboard catering expiry time of 18 hours triggered some unnecessary catering uplifts on stations with poor food quality. We therefore try to extend the limit to 24 hours after certain conditions are met.

We were also able to convince the company to replace the unpopular bamboo cutlery sets. They will be replaced as soon as the items are out of stock.

Last but not least, we are negotiating with TPE, NRT and GYD station to improve catering quality with more to come. 

In general, we are very happy to have improved the dialogue with our colleagues in the Travel Services Department.  

Hotels
LAX 
Unfortunately, we are facing a change to our well-liked Hotel in Redondo Beach. The new corporate management of the Sonesta has significantly increased the rate for a contract extension/continuation proposal. An attempt for a dialogue and a compromise with the Sonesta hotel management remained unsuccessful.  We were therefore forced to start a new tender process for new hotels starting from of 1st Jan 2025. 

We surveyed more than 30 hotels, did 5 on-side inspections and recommended to move to the Courtyard Marriott in Marina Del Rey, which we find a very suitable alternative.

Beginning 01MAY 2024, the Courtyard Marina Del Rey confirmed to host us as our new crew hotel including the following benefits exclusively for Cargolux:

  • 20% off outlets (excluding bottles of wine)
  • Complimentary bike rentals
  • 50% discount on Kayaks & SUPs.
  • A „water-taxi-shuttle-service“ in the vicinity for 2 USD p.p.,
  • A shuttle bus in the vicinity, available via an app and complimentary.

Considering these extensive benefits plus the location we are optimistic that you will appreciate the new hotel and its location in walking distance to Venice Beach.

TPE 
With a similar situation as in LAX, the Hotel Committee had to perform a tender process in TPE, also resulting in a move: As of the 01JUN2024 the Shangri La Hotel is planned to accommodate us. While the direct area around is not as lively as what we are used to in the Grand Hyatt, it is only 20 minutes walking distance away from the familiar area around the Taipei 101. 

CGK 
It is planned to recommence layovers in Jakarta and the Hotel Committee is in a dialogue with Travel Services Department about the hotel selection. The previous Mercure crew hotel was not received very well and therefore we will inform you as soon we have additional info.

In the meantime, we continue to ask you to provide us with feedback and copies of your reports to cvcatering@alpl.lu and cvhotels@alpl.lu.

Dirk Becker No Comments

Result Delegation Election

We are pleased to inform you that pilots will hold 9 out of 16 seats in the Delegation. 
 
The results communicated by the electoral office are as follows:

LCGB   50,5%     9 seats
OGB-L 32,8%  5 seats
SEA 16,8%  2 seats                                      

Your elected representatives are (9 effective Delegates and 9 substitute Delegates):
On behalf of the ALPL Board I would like to take the opportunity and thank all of you participating in the election! It is however worrying to see that only 62,6 % of the pilots casted their votes this time compared to 87,3% in 2019, assuming that every pilot casted his/her 32 votes. Despite this, it is encouraging for us to see how many of you went the extra mile to make sure that your ballot will be returned in time to be counted! 
 
I would also like to thank those colleagues who stepped forward and made themselves available as candidates and at the same time a big thank you for those who have served for many years on the Delegation representing our interests, who were not reelected. They have contributed a lot to what we have achieved as a group, which was not visible to everyone, and we should be grateful for that.
 
The results of the election are not final yet, as they can be contested until April 1st, 2024.
Michael Kaiser No Comments

How to mark and return your ballot for the Delegation Election

In the coming days you should either receive your ballot for the Delegation Election by mail or you may pick up your ballot at Human Resources. It will be important, that you do whatever will be needed to make sure that you mark your ballot in time and moreover make sure that it will get back to Human Resources before the electoral office will close on March 12th. The result of the election in 2019 shows, that achieving a good result is possible, but this will require you going the extra mile.

In order to make sure, that your ballot will be received by March 12th, 16.30 LT, we ask you to strictly follow the recommendations and guidelines you have already received and the additional tailored recommendations we will provide via different channels, e.g. by postal mail sent to your home address. It will be important, that you mail back your ballot immediately after you have received it.

Important:
Regardless, if you did request to have your ballot sent to your home address or any other address, you may consider the following as of February 27th:

If you return from or leave on a rotation between 08.00 and 17.00 local time, Monday to Friday, you may go to Human Resources (map) to cast your votes there. This is possible, even if your ballot has already been sent, as your roster may have changed or could be changed in a way, which would prevent you from returning your ballot before the electoral office will close on March 12th. By doing so you can guarantee that your votes will be counted. Additionally, the ALPL Office staff is available to assist you in mailing back your ballot.

The ALPL office is available 24/7 between February 28th and March 12th, to assist you in returning your ballot. Please call the hotline at +352 42 23 30 to make sure that we can serve you, especially if you consider passing by the ALPL office outside of business hours, which are Monday to Friday 08.00 to 17.00.

Should you experience any problems please get in touch with us immediately at +352 42 23 30.

Click here for a high-resolution flyer, showing how to cast your votes correctly and how to handle your ballot. A short video clip showing the same will be published soon.

Dirk Becker No Comments

Delegation Election 2024 – Postal Voting

As required by the applicable regulations Cargolux published the official announcement of the Delegation Election on the company’s intranet on Friday, February 9th. Additionally, an email will be sent to all employees today, Monday, February 12th, announcing the election.

Even though we as pilots are automatically foreseen for postal voting we strongly recommend that you register for postal voting in any case. We therefore ask you to WAIT until the March roster period has been published on 16 February 2024 before requesting postal voting. Waiting with your request will allow your ALPL Board to provide you with important and up-to-date information, including detailed recommendations how to request postal voting, how to receive your ballot papers and how to cast your votes considering your roster. This information will be published by your ALPL Board on 16 February.

There will be plenty of time to request and receive your ballot as Human Resources will not be able to send out or make ballot papers available for postal voting before February 27th, due to the very strict timelines mandated by the applicable regulations.

In the meantime we recommend that you have a look at the updated FAQs for the Delegation Election and Postal Voting. More information will follow.

In case you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us at elections@alpl.lu.