Cargolux set to continue working agreement talks with unions

Cargolux is set to meet with union bosses tomorrow as the two groups attempt to thrash out a new collective working agreement for ground staff and pilots and avoid industrial action.
Ahead of the talks, the LCGB union, which claims to represent 95% of Cargolux pilots, issued a statement appealing to the airline’s shareholder representatives to have management conclude the new working agreement and avoid industrial action.
The appeal follows a call from the Association Luxembourgeoise des Pilotes de Lign, of which LCGB is a member, and the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations for all member associations to “assist Cargolux pilots during possible industrial action”.
The ALPL said: “This also includes a request that pilots at other airlines should be supportive, when asked by their airlines to provide additional flights to meet the capacity demands created by the dispute at Cargolux, in order to avoid that traditional customers of Cargolux suffer from a possible stoppage of Cargolux flights.”
The LCGB said it had proposed a comprehensive savings package in order to permit a reduction of a total annual volume of around $10m in personnel costs whilst providing a revised and future orientated collective work agreement.
“The major part of approximately $9m per year would be shouldered by the airline’s current and future pilots,” it said.
Earlier this month, Cargolux said it had reached a "principle agreement" on a new collective work agreement  with the OGBL and LCGB unions, representing the majority of the Luxembourg-based carrier’s ground staff.
However, later that week the LCGB union said 94% of its members had voted in favour of issuing the union with a mandate to strike.
The union said that while progress had been made on a working agreement covering ground staff, there was still work to be done to conclude a deal covering pilots.
The union claims it is fighting to protect all jobs, avoid outsourcing and avoid social dumping.
A 24 hour strike by LCGB in late July saw 76% of Cargolux flights unaffected by the pilots’ action.