Strike!

Friday strike gets the thumbs up from the union

Yesterday afternoon, the union of Croatia Airlines cabin crew announced that they will go on strike from Friday, July 9 at 06.00 CET after talks between the union and management broke down. The strike will hit Croatia Airlines hard as it will last for a total of four days, until July 13 at 06.00 CET, unless the union decides to end the strike beforehand. The union warns that this is only the first out of several industrial actions it will be staging over the following months. The union has informed the Croatian Prime Minister, Jadranka Kosor, of the planned strike and the reason it is taking such dramatic action.

Yesterday, it was reported why the union is so unhappy with the airline’s management. Croatia Airlines cabin crew earn approximately 550 Euros per month. Their pay has been slashed by 5%, work hours increased, holiday leave decreased and bonuses have been discontinued.

The union says that it did not wish to take such drastic action and disrupt air travel across the country but it stresses that desperate times call for desperate measures. The strike couldn’t come at a worst time for the Croatian tourism industry which is recovering after last year’s global financial crisis and is counting on the national carrier this year to bring in thousands of tourists to the Croatian coast.