2023-11-19 19:40:21
“We are being replaced by cheap workers,” laments Sandrine Nikolic, president of the Kapers air staff union. Since the summer of 2022, the airline Swiss has subcontracted part of its flights to the Latvian company AirBaltic, in order to ensure the schedule. The staff of the Latvian company receive a monthly salary of between 900 and 1500fr. An approach which considerably reduces Swiss’s costs and prices, of course, but… illegal. “The Canton of Zurich should guarantee Swiss wages,” explains Daniel Lampart, chief economist of the Swiss Trade Union Union (USS), to “SonntagsBlick”. And continued: “Zurich refuses to apply the laws.”
Because yes, the Latvian company carried out these flights as part of a crewed aircraft charter contract. In September 2022, the Zurich Labor Office would have classified the outsourcing of flights as cross-border rental of personnel. But last March, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) determined that this type of rental was not a cross-border rental of personnel, but a “secondment”. And that for this, we would have to pay salaries equivalent to those in Switzerland. Something not done by the company. The Zurich authorities were fully aware of the case, but refused and still refuse to act.
The Zurich Labor Office is a body dependent on the Department of Public Economy of the Canton of Zurich, headed by State Councilor Carmen Walker Späh (PLR/ZH). The latter sits on the board of directors of Zurich Airport. The latter would have “financially supported parties which are favorable to him” – the PLR would have received nearly 300,000 francs in the space of a few years.
A lack of operational planes according to Swiss
Swiss, for its part, defends itself as follows: “Of course, we would prefer to operate all flights ourselves,” explains a spokesperson. According to the latter, engine parts were missing.
Although outsourcing was planned as a temporary solution, it has been extended multiple times: the last time until summer 2024.
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