Background information

As the aviation sector has been severely hit since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis with less flights than usual, a solution has been put forward to protect all Luxair employees. Thus, a tripartite agreement in the aviation sector was signed on 9 November 2020 and negotiated between government (Ministry of Labor and Employment, Ministry of Transport, and Ministry of Finance), trade unions and the Luxair manangment. The agreement will be applicable until 2024. Some of the jobs will be destroyed but tools, such as pre-retirement will be mobilised as prevention mechanisms. Partial unemployment and the redeployment of employees to other companies will also be used.

Content of measure

Employee sharing between LUXAIR and COVID-19 centres: Around 50 LUXAIR employees (mostly flight attendants) will be redeployed to the centers that sort, count, follow people are tested to COVID-19 or who are already diagnosed COVID-19. The main objective of this measure is help these centers which have seen an increasing number of clients during the crisis. This employee sharing measure is already implemented and should last for several months.

Employee sharing between LUXAIR and the army, and the company in charge of school buses: the Ministry of Mobility and the Ministry of Education decided on 30 October 2020 the improvement of the school transport system. In addition to increase the number of bus drivers, they also agreed to reinforce the service of 5 out of 37 shuttles with additional buses, and for the remaining 32 bus routes, they will provide a higher capacity of passengers.

Use of measure

The agreement concerns around 600 workers. Some jobs will be destroyed but law-based prevention tools, such as early retirement (concerning 265 people) will be mobilised. Around 50 LUXAIR employees LUXAIR will work in the COVID-19 centres during the COVID-19 crisis until LUXAIR flights become regular again and 40 other employees will work within school transportation as buses drivers.

Contents

• Employment retention
• Income protection
• Solidarity

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Applies to all workers	Sector specific set of companies Companies providing essential services	Does not apply to citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
National government Trade unions Employers' organisations Company / Companies	Companies

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	Agreed (outcome) incl. social partner initiative	Agreed (outcome) incl. social partner initiative
Form	Consultation through tripartite or bipartite social dialogue bodies	Consultation through tripartite or bipartite social dialogue bodies

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• Social partners jointly
• Main level of involvement: N/A

Involvement

Four tripartite meetings had been needed between social partners to conclude to this agreement. They all participate in discussion, negotiation and agreement of the text. The government (particularly Ministry of Labor, Ministry of transport/mobility, and Ministry of Finance), trade unions and employers (CEO of LUXAIR M. Feith) has been involved in the discussion

Views and reactions

The trade union LCGB is pleased that the tripartite agreement is already proving its worth well before the CDR is even fully implemented, (Luxair and the Ministry of Health for example.)

Sectors and occupations

This case is not occupation-specific.

Sources

• 09 November 2020: Un accord et aucun licenciement chez Luxai (www.lessentiel.lu)