Swissport Employees Accept a Crisis Collective Labor Agreement

After several rounds of negotiations, Swissport agreed this Wednesday, July 21 with the majority of unions on a proposal to implement crisis collective agreements for a period of 9 months. This proposal was put to a staff vote at the meeting on Wednesday evening and was accepted by staff with an 87 percent approval rate.

The crisis CBA is valid for a period of 9 months, retroactively from June 1, 2021 to Feb. 28, 2022 and is based on the working conditions of Jan. 4, 2021 and the elements for improvement. It aims to establish a conventional field with a guarantee to initiate new negotiations for a long-term collective agreement from October 2021.

"Our desire has always been to act in a socially responsible manner and to reconcile the needs of our employees with the demands of the airline industry during the crisis. With the adoption of the crisis collective agreement, we have taken a first step in this direction and we are convinced that we have laid a good basis for the renegotiation of a long-term collective agreement,” declares Antoine Gervais, director of Swissport Geneva.

Swissport has always wanted to return to a conventional context as soon as the sector's economic recovery has taken hold. However, this required negotiating partners ready to explore the possibilities existing in the context of the current crisis and a certain willingness to compromise on the part of all parties. With the conclusion of this crisis collective agreement, the company is achieving this objective.