The Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft (ver.di) has consolidated its work for the approximately 45,000 flying employees in civil aviation into a new, independent, professional group-specific, international alliance. The Aircrew Alliance organizational unit will, in future, include all flight attendants and pilots of airlines operating in Germany.
“Competitive pressure is constantly on the rise. The aviation industry is becoming ever more fast-moving and international. With the Aircrew Alliance, flight attendants and pilots in ver.di are positioning themselves internationally, ready for the future. In the coming months, this alliance will create the basis for future-proofing and good living and working conditions for all airline employees operating in Germany. Our motto for this is: unity strength diversity,” explains Mira Neumaier, ver.di’s national aviation group leader.
In addition to the classic collective bargaining work, the Aircrew Alliance will also focus on job-specific topics such as occupational safety, health (keyword: aerotoxic syndrome), further training and strengthening co-determination rights. To this end, it forms its own commissions, which are represented nationally and internationally in the area of the European and International Transport Workers Federation (ETF / ITF), for example vis-à-vis the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
In the future, the Aircrew Alliance will form a strong international and national lobby for aircrews. The Aircrew Alliance will draw on the expertise and networking of all ver.di employees in the aviation sector. “We are creating a strong independent platform that represents cabins and cockpits. We need cross-airline networking and cooperation in order to defend existing standards and enforce better regulations for international competition between airlines,” says Neumaier.