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The corona pandemic and associated losses in unprecedented amounts are forcing the AUA to clamp down on drastic austerity measures. However, the AUA currently burns “from one to two million euros a day”, confirmed the head of the AUA, Alexis von Hoensbroech in the magazine “Noticias”, at least 40 million euros a month. At Lufthansa it is even 350 million euros a month. According to the report, the crisis is causing more and more AUA employees to seek a second job to make ends meet.
No one knows how long the crisis will last and when the pre-crisis level will be reached again. “We will definitely go through the winter with our liquid funds,” said von Hoensbroech, who also assumes that “50, 60 or 70 percent of the business will return in the summer.” The management of Austrian Airlines assumed such a scenario in its business plan.
In the three quarters to the end of September, AUA posted a loss of 341 million euros. “This is, of course, a loss that has never been seen at this level. It was not caused by mismanagement, but because some kind of natural disaster of unknown severity and duration affected us through no fault of our own.” The head of AUA speaks of a “very hard test”. There are still some remains of reserves, and the tourniquet function is also maintained.
The clock is ticking ever stronger both at Lufthansa, which has received € 9 billion in state aid, and at its Austrian subsidiary AUA, which is also supported by the Austrian state with crisis aid. This is also felt by the current 6,600 AUA employees, who will have to contribute around 300 million euros to the crisis between now and 2024. 1,100 employees will be eliminated by 2022. In the meantime, however, everyone works short-time up to minus March 2021. The current legal basis for this applies until then, but the AUA wants to use it until at least the first quarter of 2022. “In practice, it should be possible to use short-time work until business returns.” said the head of AUA.
Even if short-time work is not allowed to be completed, the situation for those affected, who perform 10 to 80 percent of their original job performance, is pitiful. Many AUA employees, especially younger and poorly paid employees, have to look for a second job in the short term, writes “News.” Otherwise, your income will no longer be sufficient. With around 2,500 flight attendants, variable salary components are also omitted, such as commissions from onboard sales, which might otherwise represent 20 percent of revenue.
“A reduction of 10 or 20 percent plus the elimination of variable salary components that are not included in the regulation of short-time work, that is not enough for many employees,” said Rainer Stratberger, president of the works council of board. Many would also have it in the gastro o. Hired hospitality sector -which is now also closed-, some with the ÖBB Nightjets and others even with auxiliary or assistance services. Others would retire altogether because they didn’t have the prospects, the report says, referring to an anonymous long-term AUA employee. The company does not mention how many people from the AUA have sought part-time jobs; according to the works council, these are not individual cases. This happens in all areas of the company. (off / red)
