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The holiday aviator chair and the Balkans is suffering from the crown crisis. That is why it issues new contracts to employees. They feel pressured. The head of the company defends the approach.
At Airline Chair, employees must accept worse conditions.
The air is getting thinner for many airlines. In the United States, American Airlines recently announced that it would cut 19,000 jobs. But smaller providers suffer too, like Chair airline, which was founded in 2019 and is based in Opfikon ZH. It arose from the Swiss “Germania”, which was acquired by Air Prishtina and its owner Leyla Ibrahimi-Salahi and the Polish Enter Air.
Research by this newspaper has shown that around 100 employees face drastic pay cuts that will take effect in early 2021. Staff were reportedly presented with significantly poorer new contracts, which employees can sign until mid-mid-September. September. If you let the ultimatum pass without a signature, you are threatened with termination of the change.
“The mood is miserable”
With the new contracts and short-term work currently prevalent, flight attendants received less than CHF 2,000 net per month at a 100 percent workload, estimates a source. Because the president does not compensate for the loss of short-time job, and an additional CHF 120 per month is deducted from employees for using the parking spaces at the airport. “The mood is miserable,” says the source. The lack of recognition also shows that flight attendants have to take on new tasks, such as cleaning aircraft cabins on a cycle.
The informant talks about a difficult situation for the employees. “We are all very concerned about our future. Because either we sign and earn a starvation salary, or we look for another job, which is not easy at the moment. “Therefore, some employees would have been forced to accept the new contracts. Communication from the executive floor is also criticized. In January there have only been two meetings with the management, in which no information has been exchanged.
The president wants to avoid layoffs
CH Media confronted the president with the accusations. CEO Shpend Ibrahimi, husband of Leyla Ibrahimi-Salahi, confirms that employment conditions will be changed. This is “unavoidable” as world aviation is currently experiencing a crisis of unprecedented proportions. This is a threat to the very existence of airlines large and small like Chair Airlines. Job protection is a top priority. So far, you haven’t had to report it, and you want to continue avoiding that.
The new contracts would include a “pandemic mode,” says Ibrahimi. At the lowest salary level, a flight attendant would receive a gross salary of CHF 3,100 per month with a workload of 100 percent. This is common in the industry, says Ibrahimi. In pandemic mode, wages drop about 8 percent with new contracts. Ibrahimi points out, however, that a flight attendant with the new contract would earn around 10 percent more than today at the same level of pay “in normal flight operations.” The question, however, is whether and when “normal flight operations” will return.
Bazl examines the economic situation
“It is absolutely understandable that employees are afraid of losing their jobs in the current situation, and we are sorry too,” says Ibrahimi. “But looking only at wages is only one side of the coin, because without the right measures, jobs are at higher risk, both now and in the future.” Additionally, they always communicated openly and argued with employees once a month. Conversations had also taken place.
Ibrahimi is combative: all funds paid from clients who were unable to travel have been fully refunded. Investors believe in the airline and the flight schedule for summer 2021 will be published shortly. In addition to the vacation business, Chair relies heavily on so-called ethnic trafficking. Because Kosovo and North Macedonia are currently considered high-risk countries with mandatory quarantine, this business area suffers greatly, but could recover quickly if the list is changed accordingly.
The economic situation of the airline now also worries the authorities. As a spokesperson for the Federal Office for Civil Aviation says, the authority is in regular contact with all Swiss airlines, including the president. Monitoring of economic performance has been increased.
