EUROPEAN CABIN CREW ASSOCIATION

At this moment EurECCA represents more than 35.000 cabin crew affiliated to 9 European unions in the Netherlands, France, Germany, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland and Ireland. As we represent 70% of all organised cabin crew in Europe, we are a representative stakeholder at all tables that concern themselves with cabin and passenger safety, cabin crew health and cabin crew working time limitations and social aspects.

We are rooted in the airline industry, not politically aligned, independent and the experts on cabin crew matters. EurECCA welcomes cabin crew unions from all over Europe, who share the vision of a democratic, solidary and prosperous Europe, to work together on these matters on a European level.

We are legally based in Belgium with an office in Brussels.

Read also: A European Cabin Crew Association -EurECCA- has taken off

EurECCA asked to speak at CAPSCA conference "hire a private jet" to help establish robust protocols for dealing with contagious disease on board following successful presentation at ECAC workshop

EurECCA opposes current proposals to introduce staff ‘interoperability’ on commercial airlines as a cost-saving business model as this could pose significant risks to the safety and social and legal aspects of cabin crew were it to be implemented.

It is with mixed emotion that EurECCA today celebrates the event five years ago which led to its creation and subsequent birth nine months later. On this very day in 2013, cabin crew throughout Europe bitterly learned that their 18 month fight for fair working conditions in terms of Flight Time Limitations (FTL) had been sabotaged by an European employees federation that should have protected them and should have been fighting to improve their rights.

EurECCA, along with other key airline, pilots and cabin crew organisations, joins the EU’s Aviation’s Summit call for decent social conditions Empty Legs UK for airline staff throughout Europe.Working conditions for cabin crew are becoming increasingly grim, with the issuing of dodgy atypical contracts to keep costs down, becoming the norm. These 'creative' employment contracts have been made possible as a result of interpretations of legal gaps and grey areas in the EU and national legislation.

Marianne Thyssen, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility, received Michael O'Leary, CEO of Ryanair to discuss the current dispute at the airline company on the application of labour law and the steps Ryanair is taking.
read more: http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=fr&catId=89&newsId=9195&furtherNews=yes

Interoperability is a term mainly used for software development, describing two or more systems of communication with each other by using the same standards without restrictions. How does this refer to airlines? Basically the idea is to share cockpit and cabin crews within an affiliated group of companies or within an international holding across states according demand.

For the third time this week EurECCA demands respect, integrity and fairness for Ryanair’s cabin crew and pilots. This third appeal comes after yesterday’s announcement to cut its Dublin-based fleet by 20% this winter, following through on a threat it made to stop its Irish pilots striking. This announcement comes at a time when cabin crew are striking in several European countries over concerns around safety issues and unfair working conditions.

EurECCA urges Ryanair to put the safety first and avert the upcoming industrial action this week by entering into serious, honest and fruitful negotiations with the unions to address the many concerns around safety issues and unfair pay and conditions faced by pilots and cabin crew throughout Europe.

EurECCA raises concerns that refusal to respect EU and national legislation may jeopardise passenger and crew safety on low cost airline
EurECCA is raising serious concerns that the refusal of one particular low cost airline to respect EU Flight Time Limitations (FLT) legislation could lead to risks in terms of passenger and crew safety. EurECCA is calling for the European Commission, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASE) and the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) to investigate the budget airline’s non-compliance and to take appropriate action to address this issue.

Ryanair Boeing

A Dutch court sentenced Ryanair to pay damages to a cabin crew member because she was fired for not showing up in Dublin after a forced change of her home base from Eindhoven in the Netherlands to Dublin. That is remarkable, because according to her Irish contract Ryanair could force her to move.

EurECCA would like to express its full support for the industrial action by directly-employed pilots on Ryanair in Ireland. The 99% who voted in favour of industrial action in the ballot clearly indi-cate how important it is for employees to show management they no longer accept further delays in meaningful negotiations.