Member Mail 9 / 2014
Ballot SWISS CLA-Ground Personnel
- GATA GM of 21 May 2014
- Procedure Ballot
- CLA Adjustments
- Recommendation of the Committee
- Further Steps
Dear colleagues
After their announcement to reorganise “Passenger Revenue Accounting“ along with any dismissal of 7 employees SWISS is behaving like a bull in a china shop facing the difficult situation of the forthcoming CLA ballot.
- GATA GM dated 21 May 2014
In a lively debate at the GATA:SEV Aviation (GATA-GM) general meeting in Zurich taking place on 21 May 2014 we had the opportunity of discussing the specific meaning of the CLA-adjustments and the consequences of accepting or rejecting the CLA.
Our external ver.di spokesman, union secretary Sebastian Marten, illustrated the conflicts in connection with a token strike within the Lufthansa-Group during the past months. The more drastic and critical the working conditions were, the easier it would be to put up collective resistance.
Results with a moderate outcome, concessions of both parties would, of course, make a resistance movement more difficult.
All attendants to the meeting were clearly shown that after rejecting the contract a time of absolute resistance would have to follow. If you vote no to a contract you should be aware that this means to vote yes to being engaged in a lengthy industrial action with an uncertain outcome.
- Procedure Ballot
On their meeting on 21 May 2014 the GATA-committee decided on how to proceed with involving their members in the CLA result and brought it up for discussion to those present: All employees subject to the CLA for SWISS ground personnel, being a member of SEV-GATA on 5 June 2014, will be entitled to vote. All confirmations of membership (completely filled in and signed in due form) must be received at SEV-GATA at that date (applications for membership are ready for download on www.sev-gata.ch).
Voting will be done electronically. The procedure will be mailed in detail to our members on 6 June 2014.
You may vote during the period of 6 June 2014 to 15 June 2014, until 24.00 o’clock.
On 20 June 2014 during their ordinary meeting the SEV-committee will determine on signing the CLA, as a rule, in accordance with the motion of the section.
The result of the voting is planned to be communicated to our members, SWISS and to the public on 25 June 2014.
- CLA Adjustments
The CLA-adjustments have already been mentioned in our No. 8 member mail (please also refer to our website). The final agreement to the CLA will be ready for download immediately via www.sev-gata.ch. Of course, the new CLA will only come into force if accepted by the members.
- Recommendation of the Committee
All SEV-GATA committee members have been involved in the CLA talks. We are particularly proud that with better salary adjustments, partial protection from termination of employment, more vacation and better Pikett-compensations real improvements could be reached.
Despite the opposition of other contractual partners SEV-GATA was able to avert that an agreement recently made regarding Pikett in the Department Technical Engineering dated 12 February 2014 was cancelled. We also succeeded in averting that SWISS’ demand to reduce vacation days for shift workers was approved.
The price for the improvements is that the weekly working hours will be raised by 1 hour and the ordinary retirement age increased.
SEV-GATA committee has been critical of the present result .
Appreciating the substantial improvements, the difficult negotiations, the volatile economic environment, the quality of the adjustments and the current possibilities of a wide-spread collective resistance SEV-GATA committee unanimously recommends to accept the present results.
If you vote YES, collectively regulated working conditions will be maintained, guaranteeing the above mentioned improvements.
If you vote NO, member meetings will have to be carried out promptly. They “have to be” attended by a large number of grass roots. For these meetings an action committee must be established, determining a plan of action with the GATA executives, including all steps like work-to-rule, token strikes, further meetings, public relations and, in a foreseeable state of being without a contract, strikes with disruptions of air traffic, too. With a group of at least 50 activists (male or female), who had already been planning any actions, other colleagues (male or female) would have to be convinced to participate and collaborate in the industrial action. Moreover their ideas would have to be listened to, flyers distributed and events organised. According to experience, only with a wide-spread support a successful movement can be built up. Our aim should be: fighting until a better CLA is on hand.
From the point of view of SEV-GATA committee the justifiable quality of the new CLA, though not really arousing our enthusiasm, doesn’t serve as a basis for a long collective and successful resistance.
- Further steps
On 6 June 2014 you’ll be informed of the CLA-ballot. If you want co-determination you have to be a member of SEV-GATA. You still have the opportunity of becoming a member entitled to vote in the forthcoming CLA-ballot by 5 June 2014. All details regarding the membership under www.sev-gata.ch, application to enter ready for download under http://www.sev-gata.ch/downloads/1370250811_Beitrittserklaerung_E.pdf .
A committed fight for fair working conditions pays out!
Kind regards
SEV-GATA, your union of the aviation industry
Philipp Hadorn, president GATA: SEV-Aviation
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