SABENA HAS reinstated labour agreements cancelled in November 1995 when unions refused to discuss a new business plan with airline president Pierre Godfroid. The plan includes a three-year wage freeze and 5% increase in working hours.
The move comes after the Belgian Government stepped in to appoint a mediator to prevent further escalation of the dispute, which has involved confrontations between union protestors and police.
Sabena will restore the agreements until the end of March, and the unions have promised to study the business plan.
The management action had provoked a series of strikes, which culminated in near-riot on 20 December as 2,000 union members protested at Brussels Airport.
Godfroid is offering workers, a profit share in return for agreeing to the plan, which he claims copies contracts at Lufthansa.
Source: Flight International
