SWISS Pilots in Contract Row Protest March

DALLAS - Around 350 SWISS International Air Lines (LX) pilots have marched to the airline's headquarters near Zurich Airport (ZRH). The protest, which took place on Thursday, September 29, is part of the flight crew's battle for an improved collective labor agreement.

SWISS, owned by Deutsche Lufthansa (LH), has been locked in intense discussion with its pilots and the Aeropers union over pay and working conditions since last autumn. Airline management rejected an initial deal in February.

AEROPERS, the professional association of the cockpit personnel of LX, then knocked back a second deal in July.

SWISS flight crews hope to resolve the issue before strike action. Photo: SWISS Air Lines

Possible Strike Action

The union has now polled its members on strike action, which could occur from October 17. However, LX pilots have continually stated they would prefer to reach a suitable conclusion for both parties at the negotiating table.

Before the protest march, the airline revealed that it had offered the union three meetings with its CEO, Dieter Vranckx, and operational chief, Oliver Buchhofer. As a condition, SWISS has requested that the pilots refrain from strike action until the end of October. AEROPERS is yet to announce if they will attend the negotiations.

The march comes just weeks after pilots at Lufthansa announced they would refrain from strike action until June 2023. A previous one-day strike at the beginning of September had led to the airline canceling nearly all of its flying schedule, stranding around 130,000 passengers.

Featured Image: SWISS Airbus A319 (HB-IPT). Photo: Tony Bordelais/Airways