AUA: Ofner considers Vida wage demands to be “extremely excessive”

In his role as aviation specialist group chairman in the Austrian Chamber of Commerce, Vienna airport director Günther Ofner is of the opinion that the strikes by the AUA flying staff planned by the Vida union would not only be “extremely excessive”, but even “a shot in the foot”.

In several rounds of negotiations, the employee representatives and Austrian Airlines, represented by the Chamber of Commerce, were unable to agree on a compromise. Now a strike by pilots and flight attendants is imminent. Ofner strongly criticizes the plan because he is of the opinion that demands of up to 40 percent more salary per month are “extremely excessive”. The AUA offered 18 percent, which is more than usual in other sectors, said the specialist group chairman.

Ofner also admits in the media statement that Austrian Airlines has drastically increased ticket prices in recent years. In his opinion, higher wages would then have to be passed on in the form of more expensive prices, which would lead to a loss of customers. In his opinion, the AUA employees would “shoot themselves in the foot” and put the 6.200 jobs at risk.