Aviation crisis comes at 'human cost'

Civil aviation trade union members have branded airlines’ cost cutting methods made as a result of the global financial crisis, as inhumane.

Not only that, the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) has said that low-cost carriers will emerge from the financial crisis stronger than ever.

The comments came during a three-day meeting in London this week, which will see the ITF setting out its strategy to help the hundreds of aviation personnel that have been affected by the recession.

In a statement, the ITF said that the aviation sector was going through structural change and the current crisis was not simply yet another cyclical dip.

It added that airlines would increasingly adopt the low-cost carrier model, against a backdrop of a weak global economy and financial markets.

Story continues below

Advertisement

FEATURED COMMENT Please click here to comment on this article

Delegates also heard how labour cost competition with budget carriers was effectively pointless as their operation costs remained significantly lower than full service carriers, or legacy airlines, due to a leaner mode of operation throughout.

“Full service airlines which cut jobs and wages in response to low-cost competition are not gaining a competitive advantage. What they are doing though is hurting workers and potentially jeopardising good industrial relations.

“Large airlines should be playing to their strengths in an industry that has room for them,” the ITF said in a statement.

The unions’ representative said that greater deregulation and privatisation would create a more stable and well-regulated global airline industry.

ITF civil aviation secretary Gabriel Mocho, commented: “Our immediate priorities now are to highlight the human cost of the crisis to aviation workers and explain that cutting labour costs isn’t helping good airlines compete better.

“Deregulation is damaging this industry. Lastly, we have to repeat our call for everyone involved – governments, employers, workers and bodies like ICAO, IATA and the ILO – to join in a dialogue on how we can preserve what’s good about this industry without hitting those within it even harder than they already have been.”