With the closure of the last Lauda base in Germany, the Ryanair subsidiary is not really making friends. One of the reasons given was the airport's refusal to lower prices. Now there is criticism.

Almost 70 pilots, roughly twice the number of flight attendants and other employees on the ground, are affected by the exit at the Düsseldorf location. They report that there was no communication whatsoever between the company and its own workforce. They found out from the media about the site closure and the associated dismissal.

Now the professional association of cockpit personnel in Germany intervenes and criticizes harshly. "If Lauda refrained from offering flights through half of Europe for the price of a warm lunch, then the group could easily pay the allegedly excessive fees at the airports," said Marcel Gröls, chairman of the Cockpit Association's tariff policy. "If the company is not rethinking, perhaps the air travelers should think about whether they currently want to fly with a company that is so ruthless."

The airline is now being asked to talk to the employees and to work out a collective social plan in the presence of the professional association.

But that's not all. Because you have to put up with a lot from the vida union. Specifically, the new annual salary of Ryanair boss O'Leary, announced yesterday, met with outrage. According to this, he will receive 3,5 million annually for his activities in the future, while other employees of the company will have their salaries cut. 

“It should not be forgotten that just a few months ago, O'Leary wanted to fob Lauda flight attendants from Vienna with a basic salary below the minimum income. In addition, the employees of the "Dagobert Duck of the cheap aviation" group-wide would continue to be openly threatened with job loss for months if they do not accept painful wages and further deterioration in working conditions ", criticizes Daniel Liebhart, chairman of the aviation department in the union vida.

Such machinations can only be counteracted in Austria with an industry collective agreement for flight personnel. This would apply to all airlines that station flight personnel in Austria and would then also include Ryanair, Wizz Air and the newly founded Maltese Lauda. Because these three airlines have been taking advantage of the missing regulations for months in order to continue to operate an unprecedented competition with dumping prices in Vienna, which drives the staff to the endangered existence, so Liebhart continues.

We therefore urge the Chamber of Commerce to immediately start negotiations with us on an industry collective agreement for flight personnel, ”affirmed Liebhart.