Latest news
EFI Annual Report, Company Pension Fund,
BRU CLA, A330 BRU OPS, EAT Just Culture Protocol

Dear members, dear friends,

June is the perfect time to take stock of the ongoing files before the summer holidays. It is also the time when the EFI Annual Report is presented at the BRU Branch company council.

As every year, this presentation gathers key data of the Branch Office as well as a more general presentation of the financial report of EAT Leipzig Gmbh Head Office. Here are a few highlights from this data:

1. What we can see every year in the social report (compulsory in Belgium) is the age pyramid of EAT BRU, where most pilots are between 45 and 55 years old. All these colleagues who still have 10-20 years of career to make/protect/prepare are therefore all in the same boat.
2. Although the number of pilots employed by EAT BRU has progressively decreased since 2010, the number of 8/6 contracts has increased proportionally in Leipzig, with a grand total (BRU + LEJ) of around 140 “Belgian” block contracts (out of 300 pilots in total, contractors excluded). Whatever management says, the “old historical contract” still represents almost half of its DHL pilots.
3. Last interesting element, the EAT BRU Annual Report contains, each year, the same statement that DHL does not make a difference between DHL UK and EAT air operations, as both airlines are part of the same company. Duly noted!

Let’s know take a look at the ongoing files:

Company Pension Fund (BPP/IPP) when transferring to Leipzig: some might think (and a few have told me) that “this is not my problem”.

What is this file really about? Non-compliance with collective agreements, bypassing of BRU representatives and documents proposed for individual signature that do not reflect reality. It is therefore everybody’s business. Not to mention that this new element, the protection of the employer’s contribution in the airline’s pension fund also concerns actually ALL pilots based in BRU in the hypothetical case of a future transfer to another company (DHK or other). The 2011 management’s commitment towards LEJ transfers must thus be extended to all situations, which we are requesting in the 2019 BRU CLA.

To that end, a conciliation request in order to act EAT’s 2011 commitment that employer’s contribution is part of our essential working conditions will take place on 3 July, given that the company refuses to talk about it. An escalation in Bonn will then most likely… unless EAT decides to take care of the matter.

2019-2022 BRU CLA: it seems that the agreement is stuck in Leipzig on the per diems issue (due to the uncertainty of a potential social security payment), but what is really at stake here is to have a CLA that protects all our existing conditions for an unlimited duration. Is the management ready to put down in writing all these elements? This is a vital condition to legally secure our future.

A330 BRU Operations: since the beginning, BRU representatives want to put into place a collective agreement rather than limiting ourselves to individual contracts, which can be more easily challenged.

They have also noticed that after one year, our ver.di colleagues have not managed to push forward the file in LEJ according to their methods.

EAT Just Culture protocol: Mr Funk (former LBA), our new Safety Manager, has decided to urgently implement this protocol, despite BRU and some LEJ representatives’ suggestions for improvements. He forced its approval by a vote in CCC (which ended in 3 against 2). This is extremely regrettable for an issue that requires consensus and trust. Let’s see how our Safety Department will implement this text in LEJ (there is no agreement yet in BRU).

Last but not least, the BeCA and VC Executive Board approved an updated EAT cooperation protocol, which confirms that BeCA will continue to be the point of contact for “8/6 Belgian contracts” (BRU and LEJ). The protocol reaffirms as well that EAT/DHL pilots based in LEJ who are BeCA members automatically become VC members and both organisations commit to working together to ensure existing working conditions are guaranteed and to harmonise and synchronise our communications on issues that concern all pilots of the company.

As I was telling you in my “President’s Word” in our last Cockpit Flash, everything is in everything. It is also true at EAT. I suggest you also to read (again) the EAT article of the same Cockpit Flash.

See you around!

Alain Vanalderweireldt
BeCA EAT Vice-President