The pilots' union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) comments on the coalition agreement between the governing parties. While it sees important approaches to strengthening Germany as a center of aviation, it also calls for more commitment and concrete measures to safeguard collectively agreed jobs. The VC emphasizes the pilots' responsibility for safety and their contribution to society as a whole, but expects a corresponding commitment and action from airlines and politicians.
The VC views the coalition's planned tax and fee relief for airlines critically and calls for it to be linked to clear conditions for creating and maintaining jobs in Germany. Growth in air traffic should not be an end in itself, but must be measured by value creation and employment in Germany. The VC welcomes the commitment to international competitiveness and the reduction of disadvantages for German airlines in sustainability requirements, as well as the planned financing of alternative fuels from emissions trading revenues.
The VC calls for a three-pronged approach for the future that encompasses a competitive, ecologically, and socially sustainable Germany as an aviation location. This includes fair competition conditions as well as collectively agreed and secure cockpit jobs. However, the union criticizes the lack of a clear plan to regulate cross-border work and curb social dumping in aviation. Without binding regulations on collective bargaining, the home-base principle, and employment protection, there is a risk that low-cost airline models with precarious working conditions will continue to gain in importance.
With regard to planned labor law reforms, the VC calls for further measures beyond a federal collective bargaining law to strengthen the rights of unions and combat collective bargaining evasion and anti-union behavior. The VC expresses concern about the planned flexibilization of working time regulations and demands a clear statement that existing European flight duty and rest time regulations for flight personnel will remain untouched. The plans to digitize employee participation in company management are generally welcomed, but it is crucial to simultaneously prevent the obstruction of works councils and the discrimination against union-active employees. The Cockpit Association announces that it will actively participate in the dialogue on the aviation strategy and will continue to advocate for binding social standards in European aviation.
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