According to the statement, Cargolux management still had not responded to concerns expressed by the unions after the 13 June round of negotiations for a new collective agreement. 

For the unions "the increased and permanent workload of employees with a long-term health risk, uncertain career development and salary levels unrelated to industry trends are no longer acceptable,” according to the communiqué.

While the unions state that economic problems faced by Cargolux and previous “poor management” were among the reasons concessions were made by employees during the last collective bargaining agreement--set to expire 1 August 2019--it expressed concerns that poorer working conditions would remain frozen, despite the fact that “management is not able to present facts that would justify it”. 

When contacted by Paperjam, Cargolux management indicated “not having received a formal invitation to the meeting” and “remains open to the continuation of the discussions”. 

Cargolux is an all-cargo airline, the biggest of its kind in Europe. In April, the company boasted the “new high” it had reached in 2018, when its net profit after tax for the year totalled $211.2m and it calculated 138,179 airline block hours, a 3% increase year-on-year.