Easyjet has announced that it will cut its Berlin base in half due to the corona problems. That would mean the end for almost 50 percent of the workforce. Now the Verdi union is calling for a protest.
This public protest march should be directed against the planned downsizing and take place between 9 and 11 a.m. today. According to the responsible union secretary Holger Rößler, 300 people are expected in front of the Intercity Hotel at Berlin-Schönefeld Airport. While the Easyjet employees are working to keep their jobs, negotiations should also take place at the same time. For this purpose, representatives of the British low-cost airline and the staff representatives would get together, like airliners.de reported.
"The protest action is intended to give support to the staff representatives and the union collective bargaining committees," Rößler continued. Although there have been talks in the past, these have so far ended without results, according to the union secretary. Instead, the low-cost carrier wants to issue the first dismissals at the beginning of November. According to Verdi, dismissals should only be considered in unavoidable cases in times of Corona - at Easyjet there is a way out. Even several. The short-time work arrangement could be extended until December 31st of next year. Furthermore, expanded part-time offers and a move to the airline's European network could be considered. From Verdi's point of view, severance payments or early retirement arrangements are also possible.
When asked, Easyjet referred to the ongoing negotiations. At the same time, they regretted "that proposals to reduce the number of aircraft and crew are necessary for our Berlin flight operations."
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