Austrian Airlines Collective Agreement Dispute: Tensions Rise as Further Strikes Loom Without a Resolution in Sight

The ongoing collective agreement dispute involving 3,500 employees at Austrian Airlines showed no signs of resolution on Thursday. AUA spokeswoman Sophie Matkovits stated that while discussions were ongoing at various levels, there was no set negotiation date. Meanwhile, the union confirmed that talks were taking place but there seemed to be no change in the airline’s offering.

After 20 rounds of negotiations, Austrian Airlines offered flying personnel, including approximately 900 pilots, an increase of 18 percent in the collective agreement. This included an eight percent raise this year and an additional five percent for both 2025 and 2026. Co-pilots were also set to receive up to a ten percent increase. However, the on-board works council and the Vida union were pushing to reduce the salary gap between AUA employees and the parent company Lufthansa, where employees reportedly earned up to 40 percent more.

Vida Aviation boss Daniel Liebhart expressed disappointment with the management’s offer, stating that while there were some improvements, the extended time frame was not enough to address the underlying issues of underpayment and unequal treatment of Austrian employees within the Lufthansa group. The AUA’s offer was rejected by the union cabin crew with a majority of 90 percent, prompting frustration from the aviation umbrella organization AI Austria who accused Vida Union of persuading workers to reject what could have been an acceptable agreement for Austrian Airlines.

As tensions rise over this dispute without a resolution in sight, further strikes loom as longer disputes can cause significant damage to Austrian Airlines’ operations.