vida for better working conditions for Hungarian air traffic controllers

On the occasion of the start of the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU, Daniel Liebhart, Chairman of the Aviation Department at the trade union vida, appeals to the Hungarian government to finally clear the way for better working conditions for HungaroControl's Hungarian air traffic controllers. "We support our Hungarian colleagues in solidarity and call on the Hungarian government not to put any further obstacles in the way of the social dialogue," emphasizes Liebhart, who himself works as an air traffic controller at Austro Control and is also a works council member there.

Toxic environment

According to the trade unionist, due to the negative attitude of the Hungarian government to the social dialogue with the trade unions and employees, as well as due to various legislative measures, the conditions for colleagues in Austria's neighbouring country have deteriorated further in recent years. "The staff of the Hungarian service provider suffers in a toxic corporate environment, leaves HungaroControl to work in another country, or gives up the profession altogether. State air traffic control is not in a position to meet minimum expectations of the workforce in terms of social standards and pay," says Liebhart. All European air traffic controllers would do their best to cope with the high volume of traffic. However, there are several bottlenecks in the network, not least due to staff shortages such as those at Hungarian air traffic control. "HungaroControl is therefore even a leading contributor to flight delays in Europe," criticizes the vida trade unionist.

Impact on Austrian air traffic

Together, all this leads to a lack of capacity in Hungarian airspace, which subsequently also increases the pressure on the air traffic control services of neighboring countries. "The Hungarian lack of capacity also has a serious impact on air traffic over Austria. One of the main routes from Austria to Greece and Turkey finally runs through Hungary. It is to be feared that Austrian holidaymakers will have to expect delays in departure because of the conditions at Hungarian air traffic control, because the planes have to wait for a free slot in the airspace," warns Liebhart.