Top Issue

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May 7, 2016
Top Issue
Cabin Crew Shortage – Same Procedure as Every Year!
At the end of April, Swiss informed their cabin personnel that also this year there will be a shortage of
cabin crew members. This year however, the situation seems to be even more precarious than in the
past years. For one thing, Swiss has difficulties to recruit enough new cabin crew members. Another
complication, which aggravates the situation even more, is the fact that numerous participants of basic
courses quit during the course or don’t even show up for it. In addition, the fluctuation more than
doubled within the last three years.
In order to find a short-term solution for the issue ‘crew shortage’, the responsible Swiss managers
and the Board of kapers have jointly elaborated a catalogue of measures. It was our goal to reduce
the additional strain for all CCM caused by the cabin crew shortage, to an absolute minimum. One
example for this is that all possibilities to increase the number of CCM must be fully exhausted, before
the crew complement is reduced or unconfirmed vacation (UFER) are not assigned any more. Swiss
will inform about these measures, as needed, within the coming weeks.
In order to solve the problem of the chronic cabin crew shortage on a long-term basis however, a more
in-depth investigation of causes will be indispensable. The Board of kapers clearly holds that –
besides the great challenge with the phase-in of the new aircraft types - Swiss is also suffering from a
self-inflicted structural problem. Many ill-conceived processes exert an increasing amount of pressure
on young and unexperienced CCM. The impacts of the very short introduction periods planned for
these CCM and the swift conversion training to long-haul aircraft, in combination with the high
expectations in the customer service area, are an additional strain for the more senior CCM as well.
Furthermore, the low initial salaries and poor conditions during the first five years of service are some
of the main reasons for a short length of stay with Swiss. The Board of kapers and the members may
have approved the CLA15, including the new salary table. However, we have emphasised repeatedly
in the past, as well as during negotiations that the low-salary-issue will sooner or later turn into a
boomerang.
Working conditions such as insufficient recovery times, the new ‘medical certificate regulation’, FCG
QS, the lack of appreciation, as well as the mistrust in the management culture complete the picture
and do not exactly promote the desire of a cabin crew member for a long-term stay with the company.
In the meantime, many people are wondering: “Is the profession of a flight attendant still a dream job?”
If this question is supposed to be answered with “Yes” again, we don’t just need ‘innovative measures’
to ease the crew shortage situation. What we need is fundamental, structural changes and
investments, in order to make the profession of a flight attendant attractive and worthwhile again.
Hence, we call on Swiss to take up negotiations with kapers promptly, in order to tackle these ongoing
problems and to find solutions in a constructive cooperation as social partners. At the end of April,
Carsten Spohr (CEO of the Lufthansa Group) phrased the following sentence on the occasion of the
general meeting of the Lufthansa Group shareholders:
“Employees are part of the solution, not part of the problem.”
Our Standpoint
Lufthansa Annual General Meeting – Pay Rise for the Executive Board
On April 28, 2016, the annual general meeting of the Lufthansa Group shareholders took place in
Hamburg. The ongoing and still unresolved wage disputes with the flight personnel of Lufthansa, as
well as the structural problems within the Group are some of the main issues of the Lufthansa Group.
At this general meeting, the shareholders accepted a pay rise proposed by the executive board.
kapers, as well as all other unions of the LH Group, criticise the decision made by the shareholders. In
times where all employees have to contribute their share in savings measures, we regard an increase
of the wages of 14% on an executive management level as a disastrous signal to the personnel. The
fact that the basic pay of the executive board had already been increased by more than 40% during
the course of the last 7 years, was knowingly withheld in this context. Considering the saving
measures which have been going on for years within the Lufthansa Group, we regard such a pay rise
for the executive board of the Lufthansa Group as an affront to all their employees.
FDR / FTL
Information about Planned MRP Reduction – SIN / GRU
Basically, for rotations which do not comply with our FDR, because they are planned with a reduced
minimum layover time and cannot be regarded as ‘daily irregularities’, since they were already known
on the preceding day or earlier, the following rules apply: Such rotations only need to be flown on a
voluntary basis and Swiss has the duty to ask the CCM about their willingness to fly it. This applies to
flights, which are postponed to the subsequent day due to operational problems, and then operate
with a 7000 flight number.
If the resulting rotation complies with the FDR, the flight can be assigned by Crew Control. If it does
not comply with the FDR however, the flight only needs to be accepted by the CCM on a voluntary
basis.
kapers requests that all CCM concerned be informed openly, already when the respective rotation is
assigned. It is at too short a notice and not transparent if a planned reduction of the MRP is only
announced during the briefing, since each CCM shall have the opportunity to decide before the
briefing and without any peer pressure, if they are prepared to carry out the rotation or not.
Mainly the flights operating as LX7092 to GRU and LX7178 to SIN are affected. With the early
departure times on the subsequent day, these rotations usually result in a planned reduction of the
MRP, unless the return flight of the concerned crew is postponed as well. If Swiss postpones the
return flight correspondingly in order to avoid the reduction of the MRP, voluntariness is no longer
an option.
Not concerned by this rule are planned reductions of the minimum layover time caused by operational
issues on the actual day of operation and the resulting operational consequences thereof.
Generally speaking you can say that in both cases each CCM must decide for her/himself if their
personal fitness allows for such a rotation or not. In particular before the return flight after a reduced
MRP the personal fitness should be monitored very carefully.
Work Environment
COB – Handling Still Unsatisfactory
Carry-on baggage (COB) is still a big problem for many airlines, including Swiss. The handling of COB
is clearly stipulated in the Passenger Handling Manual (PHM) 10.2 for handling agents and in the
CSPM 2.5.1.2, as well as the OM A 8.2.223 for CCM.
Regrettably, we still receive reports stating that the responsible handling agents are not fulfilling their
duty according to the Swiss PHM and that they accept far too much, too big and/or too heavy COB.
Once the excess baggage reaches the aircraft door or the aircraft cabin, it is the cumbersome task of
the CCM, to solve this problem during a phase of flight operation, which is already time critical. It is
Swiss’s responsibility to ensure that the commissioned handling agents fulfil their duty according to the
PHM to its full extent.
The amount of COB getting through to the aircraft is not acceptable any more for the CCM. We really
wonder if Swiss is taking this issue seriously or if they willingly neglect it, because they shy away from
any confrontation with the customer? We demand that effective means, such as consistent checks at
the check-in desks and at the gates are finally enforced. A solution to this problem would not only be a
help for us cabin crews, but it would also relieve the tense operation in connection with adherence to
safety regulations (COB regulations), punctuality etc.
Where kapers helped out
A340 – Insulation Blankets for Doors 1L/1R
Swiss has complied with the request of kapers to supply insulation blankets for the doors 1L/1R,
which they will load as of June 2016. We hope that also for our colleagues working in the FC galleys
the temperatures will now stay at a level which is adequate for a work place.
All good things are worth waiting for – because now we were finally able to achieve, after the
extensive temperature measurements one year ago, that the urgently needed insulation mats are also
loaded.
Nice to Know
Theft and Lack of Space in the Wardrobes – Request Submitted
We informed you about the increase of thefts in the OPC already in our Cabin Pressure 2/2016. The
situation in the OPC has not improved until this date. Many reports are still sent to kapers, informing
us about such incidents.
As a first step, Swiss has affixed posters and warnings. However, these measures will not keep the
thieves from carrying out their intentions. For this reason, kapers advocates for the installation of
additional wardrobes, where valuables can be locked away. The waiting time for a wardrobe locker is
definitely too long and we expect Swiss to provide lockers on request for all CCM.
It is kapers’ opinion that Swiss must fulfil their duty of care in connection with this issue. Hence, on
May 5, we have submitted a request for additional wardrobe lockers and adequate measures for the
reduction of thefts at the OPC.
Work Groups CLA15 - Update
All work groups, with the exception of the FTL work group, are in full swing. kapers and Swiss already
held several meetings. They proceeded in a constructive atmosphere, but no final results were
achieved yet. Needless to say that we will inform you as soon as we come to any conclusions or can
present any results.
As a reminder: the following work groups were set up as per final protocol of the CLA15CCM:
work group professional exam / initial and further education
guidelines for disciplinary proceedings / code of conduct
vacation regulations
FTL (presently not active)
Should the work groups FTL and vacation regulations yield any results which are to be included in the
CLA15, they must imperatively be put to the vote.
Côté Genève
Vote on Annual Report and Revision of the Statutes – Casting of Ballot Papers
Due to the fact that there is no ballot box in Geneva during the votes, we kindly ask our Geneva-based
members to send their ballot papers via co-mail to ZRHLX/kapers or to use the public mail system.
The ballot paper must arrive at the kapers office in a sealed envelope latest by May 30, 2016. Of
course, if you should happen to be at the Operation Centre in Zurich during the time of the vote, you
can certainly cast your ballot paper into the kapers ballot box, which is located next to the check-in
computers in the OPC basement.
Vote «rapport annuel» et «révision des statuts» – dépôt des bulletins de vote
Par le fait qu'aucune une urne se trouve à Genève pour le dépôt des bulletins de vote, nous prions
nos membres de la base de Genève de bien vouloir les faire parvenir par courrier interne à
ZRHLX/kapers ou alors par courrier postal normal. Votre bulletin de vote doit parvenir au bureau de
kapers dans une enveloppe fermée jusqu'au 30 mai 2016 au plus tard. Si d'ici là vous deviez passer
par le centre des opérations à Zurich, une urne s'y trouve au sous-sol à côté des terminaux
d'ordinateur permettant le check-in/out, vous pouvez naturellement y déposer vos bulletins.
Second Quarterly Meeting in Zurich – Information about the Meeting
On May 3, the second ‘Quarterly Meeting’ with the Geneva management took place. Among other
topics, we discussed the reserve scheme in Geneva, the issue of short-term schedule changes, the
M/C survey, the already announced staff expansion at the crew base Geneva and the LX22 operation.
For the reserve scheme in Geneva, further experiences, which are also made in Zurich, shall be
gathered. It is still the goal that the planning of RESX days is reduced. In addition, OKG (Geneva
management) will set up a statistics of short-term schedule changes. These changes influence the
schedule stability of the CCM concerned and must remain a total exception. We depend on your
reports on this topic.
In connection with the M/C survey, kapers emphasised once again very clearly that non-disclosure to
the management must be guaranteed. The next ‘Quarterly Meeting’ will be held in Geneva on July 27.
Should you have any issues or concerns which you want us to address to the management, we ask
you to contact our kapers representative, Arnold Prillieux, or to send us an e-mail to [email protected].
Deuxième Meeting trimestriel à Zurich - Informations
Le 3 mai a eu lieu le deuxième meeting trimestriel avec le management de Genève. Les discussions
ont porté entre autres sur le concept de la réserve à Genève, sur les changements de dernière minute
affectant votre plan d'engagement, sur le sondage des M/C, sur l'augmentation des effectifs déjà
annoncé pour la base de Genève et sur l'opération du vol LX22.
Comme à Zurich, en ce qui concerne le concept de réserve à Genève nous avons besoin de récolter
encore plus d'expériences. Le but reste une réduction du nombre de jours de réserve X planifiés à
Genève. De plus, OKG (le management à Genève) va constituer une statistique sur les changements
de dernière minute de vos plans d'engagement pour kapers. Ces changements de dernière minute
ont une influence sur la stabilité de vos plans d'engagement et ainsi ne doivent avoir lieu qu'en qualité
de stricte exception. Ici aussi nous dépendons des rapports de vol que vous nous ferez parvenir.
Concernant le sondage des M/C, kapers insiste une fois de plus clairement sur le fait que la
confidentialité envers le management doit absolument être garantie.
Le prochain meeting trimestriel aura lieu le 27 juillet à Genève. Si vous deviez avoir des thèmes ou
préoccupations dont kapers devrait s'entretenir avec le management, nous vous prions de contacter
Arnold Prillieux, votre représentant de kapers, ou de nous en faire part directement à [email protected].
Part-time Scheme in Geneva – CCMG Make Use of Option
kapers is pleased that since the new CLA for the CCMG has come into effect, they now have the
possibility to reduce their work quota. This option is already made use of.
Travail à temps partiel – Plusieurs CCMG profitent de la possibilité
C’est avec plaisir que kapers vous informe que désormais avec l’entrée en vigueur de la nouvelle
CCT pour les CCMG, vous avez la possibilité de réduire votre temps de travail. D’aucuns ont d’ores et
déjà tiré parti de cette possibilité.
Politics / Legal Matters
Full Membership of the Zurich Federation of Trade Unions (GBKZ)
Far more than 1000 kapers members come from the Canton of Zurich. As the representative of a
large occupational group in the home canton of Zurich airport, we consider it important to voice our
point of view in political and economic issues concerning the airline industry. By being involved and
further developing our union commitment, we can exert influence on decisions which concern all of us.
This is the reason why we joined GBKZ on January 1, 2016, as a full member. The cooperation and
networking within the unions are crucial pillars for our work.
Galley Talk
Reto Schmid – New Head of Cabin Crew
A few weeks ago, it became public that Reto Schmid is going to take over the cabin crew management
from Alexander Arafa. Owing to his present position as Head of Human Resources, he is already
involved in many cabin crew related topics. He is familiar with the problems and your concerns, which
we, the Board of kapers, have repeatedly addressed to OK and which you finally confirmed in the
You.Count! events. He also studied the poor results of the last employee survey. When we handed
over the kapers collection of signatures, he was reminded once again of the issues of the most recent
past. HR had been involved in many important subjects and was co-responsible for decisions made by
OK.
In addition, Reto Schmid was involved actively in many changes concerning health-related topics at
Swiss. In his new position as Head of OK, he has the opportunity to further pursue these approaches
directly and to finally bring pending items, such as ‘cold temperatures at the work place’, ‘strain caused
by too heavy work equipment’ or the ‘inspection of the work place with regard to ergonomics and
psycho-social stress’ to a positive close.
In the past, the Board of kapers repeatedly expressed where the shoe of the cabin personnel pinches
(medical certificate, vacation issue, trust and treatment, etc.) The expectations of the cabin crew
members are high! We are at Reto Schmid’s disposal for talks and a constructive cooperation at any
time, exactly the same way we did for his predecessor.
Facts & Figures
kapers Reports Statistics May 2015 – April 2016
Pending Issues / Outlook
Subject
Update
Dismissal of four CCM ............................................................................ Beginning of July
Work group Initial and Further Education ............................................... Beginning of September
Work group Vacation Regulations .......................................................... Beginning of September
Work group Guidelines for Disciplinary Proceedings ............................. Beginning of September
Work group Professional Exam .............................................................. Beginning of September
Work group Flight Time Limitations ........................................................ Beginning of September
Contact Us
kapers Office Hours
Mo – Fr
08:00 – 12:00 13:30 – 16:00
Phone
+41 43 255 57 77
Email
[email protected]
Website
www.kapers.ch
Facebook
www.facebook.com/kapersCabinCrewUnion
kapers@OPC
Thursday, May 12
Thursday, May 19
Friday, May 27
Friday, June 3
Board at the Office
May 23 – May 27
May 30 – June 3
10:00 – 12:00
10:00 – 12:00
10:00 – 12:00
10:00 – 12:00