The Austrian transport union Vida considers the “self-employment” practiced by the Ryanair subsidiary Buzz in Vienna to be illegal. The employee representatives reacted to one Aviation Direct report, in which it was revealed that the Polish airline in Vienna employs staff with a Slovak trade license as "self-employed".

Daniel Liebhart, head of the Vida specialist group, said: “You have to know that the Ryanair base at Vienna Airport was handed over to the Polish Buzz. This means that self-employed pilots could soon take off and land from Vienna Airport. From a labor law perspective, however, it is a very fine line to have a pilot in Austria work independently for an airline. In the case of a scheduled airline, we consider it almost impossible that this can be carried out legally correctly. The pilots would have to be given a great deal of autonomy, which actually cannot be given due to the strict safety procedures in an airline in scheduled traffic ”.

The union is of the opinion that "even according to the interpretation of the WKÖ, in practice it is hardly possible to use independent pilots for an airline in scheduled services". Therefore, Liebhart is now again calling for the domestic authorities to intervene: “Once again, the responsible authorities are called upon to review the dubious processes at Buzz, a company of the Ryanair group. In the specific case, it must be checked whether there is a social security obligation and whether the contributions have been paid correctly ”. Since January 1, 2020, this obligation has been the responsibility of the Ministry of Finance.

Vida: "Wage slips from the Ryanair base in Vienna indicate wage and social dumping"

“We are currently receiving more and more inquiries from concerned Vida members who work for Ryanair about how their jobs are going. Cabin and cockpit personnel are currently new locations outside of Austria, for Example in Dublin or Greece, offered ”, explains Liebhart. The conditions at the new duty stations are unknown, in some cases approval is given before starting work at the new duty station unpaid leave Aviation Direct reports.

In the course of these deliberations, pay slips were presented to the Vida union, which indicate wage and social dumping and disregard valid collective agreements. In particular, this affects the company Crew Link, which leaves staff to Laudamotion and Ryanair and belongs to the Ryanair group. The collective agreement of craft and trade applies to this company. “In some cases, however, monthly salaries below 500 euros were paid out. This clearly contradicts the applicable collective agreement ”, emphasizes Liebhart and calls on the finance minister to take action here as well. The individual employees are so intimidated due to the sick corporate culture of the Ryanair group that the fear of consequences makes it impossible to file a suit. “We call on the Ministry of Finance to initiate a review of wage-related taxes and contributions at Crew Link. Should this examination reveal clear violations of the Ryanair group in Austria, we also demand that the maximum range of penalties be used. "

It has been shown once again that the current legal framework and control options in aviation are reaching their limits. Serious airlines are hopelessly at the mercy of the competitive pressure of airlines without basic moral values. “We are demanding immediate improvements and stronger regulation from national and European legislation. The serious airlines that adhere to Austrian legislation and basic moral values ​​must not fall victim to the 'bloodbath at Vienna Airport' outlined by management, ”concludes Vida unionist Liebhart.