EurECCA welcomes the joint declaration on “COVID-19 Recovery: Towards Socially Responsible Connectivity” signed yesterday during the Preparatory Summit of the European Council by Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands and Portugal.
EurECCA supports the promotion of a European air connectivity that is:
- socially responsible,
- is based, without compromising the protection of workers’ rights, on the strengthening of safety rules and on truly fair conditions of competition, also in terms of labour law.
EurECCA stands alongside the governments and all the national trade unions that for years have been fighting together alongside workers in the sector. The timing is critical now as there have never been as many challenges as there are today, not only because of the COVID-19 health crisis, but also because of the complexity of the aviation sector in recent years.
In fact, the legislative framework in Europe is still very ambiguous, in particular regarding the employment conditions of workers, often subject to transnational regulations that encourage social dumping. All European aviation workers must be protected by dedicated legislative guarantees that avoid unfair competition in general and also in terms of employment rules and applicable employment contracts.
In the joint declaration transport ministers explicitly ask that Europe promotes a renewed socially responsible Air Transport connectivity, where social rights are safeguarded, safety is further improved and competition is based on fair and equal conditions, to prevent social dumping practices and to promote the retention of the very skilled workforce that is the core of the Air Transport Industry.
Providing the Air Transport sector with legal certainty and with European and national legislations that make socially responsible and sustainable connectivity effective, including the obligation to clearly establish which labour law is applicable to flight crew, is in fact a fundamental and no longer postponable step to “… come out of this unprecedented crisis stronger and more resilient …”
EurECCA trusts that this Declaration will find broad and firm support from the Commission and from all the countries of the European Union, so that Air Transport can operate in a strong, healthy and safe environment.
Joint declaration on “COVID-19 Recovery: Towards Socially Responsible Connectivity
https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/47209/8-tte-socially-responsible-connectivity-rev3.pdf
