Cargolux strike: how it threatens Luxembourg's air traffic
On the morning of September 13, the OGBL and LCGB unions announced a strike by Cargolux workers. The strike will begin tomorrow, September 14, but no end date has been announced.
The conditions for the strike were in place long before the official announcement. This is not the first month that the unions have tried to sign new collective agreements, but each time the negotiations have stalled.
For a long time, management ignored demands for wage increases, index guarantees, a new wage scale for ground staff, and a review of the rules governing remote work. By the 28th round of talks, the workers' patience had run out.
This is not the first strike by transport workers this year. It should be recalled that a little earlier in Germany, railway workers went on protest action. It happened on April 21 and affected the schedule of trains, including in the Grand Duchy. Even earlier, on March 16, Germans went on strike at airports. A strike by ground staff caused several major transportation hubs to shut down. Hundreds of flights were canceled as a result.
Another of Luxembourg's neighbors — France — also has frequent strikes. This year, the main unrest was caused by citizens' disagreement with Macron's pension reform. But the echoes reached the Grand Duchy as well. For example, during the nationwide strike that lasted several days, rail service, which is crucial for cross-border workers, was almost non-existent. In general, the French blocked rail traffic quite often in the first half of this year.
As for the Belgians, they turned out to be pretty quiet. Although there have been problems with transportation here as well. Last fall, for example, there was a series of strikes in the country that temporarily blocked the traffic of trains between the two countries.
To come back to the case of Cargolux, it can be expected that the transport of passengers will not be affected by the strike. However, it could seriously damage the company's own economy and Luxembourg's transport infrastructure. Cargolux remains one of the largest and most trusted carriers in Europe, and a prolonged work strike would affect the company's reputation and finances.
