The Spanish trade union USO calls on Lauda managing director Andreas Gruber in an open letter to comply with Spanish laws. The background is that the company is demanding that new working conditions be signed by Thursday evening.

“Lauda is using the same aggressive approach to HR as Ryanair. This is intended to worsen the working conditions of the Lauda cabin crew in Palma de Mallorca. One of the measures that Lauda is now trying to enforce is that seasonality is recorded in the contracts. This means that the flight attendants would be left without payment in winter. This does not apply to pilots, only to flight attendants. Salaries are to be reduced for a period of five years and at the same time the procedures provided for in Spanish law are being ignored, ”said Ernesto Iglesias, cabin crew coordinator at USO, who represents the staff of all Ryanair Group airlines in Spain.

According to the workers ’representatives, trying to unilaterally change working conditions is illegal under Article 41 of Spanish Labor Law. USO also points out that the parent company Ryanair in Spain is also trying to change the contracts according to the same model.

USO warns Lauda managing director Andreas Gruber that failure to comply with the provisions of Article 41 could result in the coveted changes being declared null and void. The union therefore calls for information about the new working conditions to be provided first and then for employees to have the opportunity to set up a representative who can negotiate with the company. USO assumes that the good intention is to keep the effects of the Corona crisis on the Palma de Mallorca base as low as possible.

“Unfortunately, Ryanair Group employees often face threats from HR. In numerous cases it has already been judged that the practice of the Ryanair Group in Spain is illegal. For us as a union it is intolerable that the intention is now that wages and working conditions will deteriorate under the threat of closing the Lauda base in Palma de Mallorca. The cabin crew are only given three days for approval. Spanish labor law stipulates that the company must open a negotiation phase with the employees or their representatives. This cannot simply be skipped over with threats, ”said USO trade unionist Gustavo Silva.

In conclusion, USO insists on the willingness of the union to cooperate. This would enable local laws and regulations to be complied with. Otherwise the changes to the contract would be null and void. USO is therefore requesting that the ultimatum set for Thursday evening be lifted and that proper negotiations be carried out under Spanish law.