Brussels Airlines faces strike over Tel Aviv flights

Belgian trade union ACV Puls has filed a strike notice over Brussels Airlines’ decision to require employees to work on flights to Tel Aviv, the union said.

Brussels Airlines plans to resume flights to Tel Aviv this month and has reportedly been assigning staff to these flights on a mandatory basis, according to ACV Puls, CE Report quotes Anadolu Agency.

The union said the company was failing to comply with an agreement reached with unions that only “voluntary” staff would work on Tel Aviv flights. Employees have serious concerns about the physical safety as well as the psychological and ethical implications of operating these flights, the statement said.

The union argued that mandatory assignments violate the employer’s responsibility to protect employees against health and safety risks.

ACV Puls also rejected Brussels Airlines’ assessment that conditions are sufficiently safe to resume flights. The union pointed to the Belgian Foreign Ministry’s advice to avoid non-essential travel to the region and said Tel Aviv should not be considered a normal place of work.

The strike notice, issued because Brussels Airlines is forcing employees to fly to Israel, took effect on September 1. The union warned that further action would follow if the decision is not reversed.

Jolinde Defieuw, an ACV Puls representative, said: “There are serious concerns among staff about both physical safety and the mental and ethical impact of these flights.”

Defieuw noted that Brussels Airlines is not giving employees the option to refuse such assignments.

“This is particularly serious in the context of the ongoing war and the genocide in Gaza. A lack of volunteers cannot be used as an excuse to force employees. Anyone with serious safety or conscientious objections should be able to refuse these flights without financial, professional or disciplinary penalties,” she said.

Photo: Chat GPT