"Parliamentary questions

18 March 2021

Question for oral answer O-000019/2021 to the Commission Rule 136

Lucia Ďuriš Nicholsonová, Dennis Radtke, Alicia Homs Ginel, Sylvie Brunet, France Jamet, Mounir Satouri, Sandra Pereira on behalf of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs 

Subject: decent working and employment conditions in the aviation sector

Over the past years, there have been several changes in the aviation sector. Some of these have contributed to a diversification in the forms of contracts for aircrew employment, such as pay-to-fly schemes, which, together with the proliferation of operational bases in different jurisdictions, could create risks of unfair competition.

Recently, eight Member States made a joint declaration, focusing on the social and labour aspects in the aviation sector. Moreover, there have been many judicial actions, labour inspections, protests and strikes triggered by affected workers.

The COVID-19 pandemic is also affecting the EU aviation sector, with the loss of more than two thirds of traffic and many jobs, as carriers seek to maintain viability and reduce costs. Despite State aid schemes, most airlines are still struggling to return to pre-pandemic activity levels. With no improvement in sight, it is feared that this could lead to more job cuts and further downgrading of terms and conditions. Against this background, the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs has the following questions:

1 Will the Commission advocate socially responsible and sustainable air connectivity in the EU, by safeguarding and advancing social rights, further enhancing safety, and ensuring fair competition and that companies receiving public financial support fully respect workers’ rights and labour laws?

2 Taking into account the evaluation of Regulation (EC) No 1008/2008, how will the Commission ensure effective enforcement of applicable EU legislation, and what legal measures are being considered to ensure a level playing field and legal certainty for aircrews, including the requirement to know which labour law is applicable to aircrews?

3 When will the Commission put forward a revision of Regulation (EC) No 1008/2008 in order to ensure decent working and employment conditions in the aviation sector?

4 When will the Commission publish the findings of the ad hoc group of Member States’ experts on aviation and labour law, and how will it remedy the lack of reliable data on the number of aircrew jobs, outsourced jobs and agency staff?

Submitted: 18.3.2021

Lapses: 19.6.2021

Last updated: 22 March 2021".