The LCGB has issued a press release in which it states that it is continuously fighting against the "decline of the safety culture at Cargolux" and will hold a protest march on Wednesday 8 July; the assembly point for all participants will be the IBIS Hotel at Findel.
Over the past month, the LCGB has claimed that that the safety and trust cultures at Cargolux have suffered as a result of the management’s failure to act conforming to rules. They have also claimed that surveys have revealed that pilots have been "unsettled by internal affairs and are increasingly losing faith in their superiors".
There have been no disciplinary measures against the pilots responsible for the “wing-wave” incident last September in the US involving a Cargolux plane. On the other hand, four pilots who had provided valid sick notes were monitored by private investigators and dismissed without any prior warnings on the grounds of “unacceptable” absenteeism.
In both cases, the LCGB have claimed that Cargolux management did not follow internal procedures. The LCGB has stated that it cannot accept this course of action "as it puts the entire safety culture at risk". In order to restore the necessary trust in the safe guarantee of airline operations, the LCGB has called on Cargolux CEO Dirk Reich to react immediately by implementing new measures.
The LCGB press release states that the ALPL (Association Luxembourgeoise des Pilotes de Ligne) and the LCGB are left with no other option than to obtain a mandate from Cargolux pilots for further trade union actions in order restore safety culture. A member ballot is currently underway and the LCGB has stated that union measures up to and including a strike can no longer be ruled out.
