Dear colleagues,

The situation is worrying YES, and we are well aware of it. The position of the SPL during this time is unequivocal:

1. Compliance with the Labor Code, the Civil Aviation Code and our minimalist CLA;
2. Preservation and soon improvement of the working conditions of Norwegian pilots;
3. Defend pilots’ rights;
4. Participation in discussions with management on all topics related to our working conditions. Upon invitation only with clear visibility of our future insight to help for a smooth ramp-up during a particular period.

Nevertheless, it is inconceivable to negotiate our terms and conditions, already the lowest of the European LH market. Without visibility, it is impossible to assess real needs without risking losing much.

Even before we know if we will survive and under what conditions, some are “negotiating” on their own and signing a new twelve-year leave program that contains many irregularities and other significant flaws.

The COVID-19 sanitary crisis grounded us for over ten months. Vacation is not a priority for all right now, so why now? What else will be “negotiated” before we resume operations?

During the latest CSE on December 3, 2020, the SPL asked what would be the savings on the cost of operating the base CDG by changing our leave allocation rules? The response was: “We don’t know”.

We will not waste too much time listing all the mistakes and other abuses during this leave project’s employees’ consultation phase. But it is important to note:

• Presentation of the project by one Union only and via a simple leaflet that does not contain all the information about the basic rules for the allocation of leave according to the Labor Code, the exact duration of the agreement, seniority by group handling and yearly process, up to 154 days between two vacation periods etc.
• A presentation mentions: « I remind you that the employers have the upper hand on vacation programming in the French Labour Law. The proposed options are then not discussable and can be forced in by the management. »… « Pros and cons of the system are quite irrelevant at this stage. The proposal is a forced choice. We want to stress out that the option with no agreement wins; we would lose any possible influence on future modification. » This is misleading and doesn’t match with French Labor Law in many aspects. Please note that all other Unions refused such an ultimatum to be used during negotiations. Cabin Crew also refused, and we will see how it goes for them;
• No CSE consultation. Motivated by a rule mentioning exclusivity of one Union to negotiate and sign for all the employees, yes but what about other Elected representatives opinions and ideas for the benefits of All Pilots ?
• No formal and detailed presentation;
• Some representatives tried their best to present alternative procedures and received no consideration;
• Usage of Company’s emails given to one Union only;
• Illegal demand for confidential documents by a trade union with a formal notice due on December 4 under penalty of seniority eviction;
• Voting of the draft validation calling on all employees and not only the members of a single trade union who initiated the process, internet voting;
• Without any supervision both from the Human Resources Department and/or the CSE, we couldn’t guarantee the count nor the confidentiality of the expressed votes;
• Asking pilots to fill their leave bidding requests before having signed the final agreement and distribute the final text to them;
• No CSE information by HR before signing…

SPL Union members were informed at every steps mentioned above but I was not able at this time to make Memos due to French legal constraints. It is now possible.

Another serious matter is that the calculation of our « Temps Partiel » salaries, which was considered erroneous by a court verdict at the Tribunal Judiciaire de Bobigny more than two weeks ago, is still absolutely kept secret by the Union at the origin of the trial and the HR. Obscure negotiations are reportedly underway. As if this was not a matter for all of us?

Of course, the SPL immediately challenged in writing these maneuvers and failings, informing Oslo and the Labor Inspectorate of CDG.

To be positive, proactive, and demonstrate our goodwill, we should all work to organize Training and Health procedures (Mask, Mandatory Vaccin, Layover protections mesures etc….) for Crew Members before being back in the air soon.

Let’s hope for the CSE and CSSCT to be involved in the process in due time.

The SPL is a Pilots’ Union for Pilots. If you want to register or more information please follow the link below:

https://www.syndicat-spl.fr/en/norwegian/

I send you my best wishes for 2021.

Sincerely,
Malik CHABI
RSS SPL NAR CDG