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Faced with Ryanair’s refusal to allow cabin crew to elect a works council, the German government, the cabinet of which met on 15 November, adopted a draft amendment to the ‘works constitution act'(Betriebsverfassungsgesetz).The amendment, proposed by labour minister Hubertus Heil (SPD), will afford pilots and cabin crew the “undisputed” right to set up a works council. The law ordinarily allows for a works council to be set up in German private sector companies that have at least five employees, when the workers demand this. However, the establishment of such a body is not possible in the air travel sector unless this is provided for by a collective agreement signed by an airline company. This restriction will not apply in future. Christine Behle, head of the transport section for aviation at union Verdi, which recently signed an outline of a first collective agreement with Ryanair (see article n°10894), said: “This is a huge success for Verdi, the employees of Ryanair and all workers in the aviation sector. With the works council guarantee passed by the German government cabin crew can now establish a works council, whether Ryanair likes it or not.” She added that Hubertus Heil kept his word, explaining that the rise of low-cost airlines has been accompanied by a substantial worsening of the pay conditions for cabin crew staff and that international corporations fail to respect the tradition of social partnership in Germany. Ms Behle concludes that the legal guarantee of a works council will in future give employees, including those of airline companies, the opportunity to represent their interests.
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