Austrian Airlines and Vida Union Lock Heads in Collective Agreement Dispute Over Pay for 3,500 Staff

Austrian Airlines (AUA) and the Vida union continue to struggle over a collective agreement for on-board staff involving 3,500 employees. As of Thursday, discussions were ongoing at various levels but no negotiation date has been set. AUA spokeswoman Sophie Matkovits confirmed that talks were taking place, but there seemed to be no change in the airline’s offering.

After 20 rounds of negotiations, AUA proposed an increase of 18 percent in the collective agreement for flying personnel, including approximately 900 pilots. This included an eight percent raise this year and an additional five percent for both 2025 and 2026. Co-pilots were also set to receive up to a ten percent increase. However, the on-board works council and the Vida union pushed back, arguing that the salary gap between AUA employees and Lufthansa employees should be reduced.

Vida Aviation boss Daniel Liebhart expressed disappointment with AUA’s offer, stating that while there were some improvements, the extended time frame was not enough to address the underlying issues of underpayment and unequal treatment of Austrian employees within the Lufthansa group. The AUA’s offer was rejected by the union cabin crew with a majority of 90 percent, prompting frustration from AI Austria who accused the Vida union of persuading workers to reject a potentially acceptable agreement for the company.

With no resolution in sight and potential strikes looming as the longer the dispute continues, Austrian Airlines faces significant damage to its reputation and operations.