January 05, 2012
Mr. Kirill Androsov
Chairman, Board of Directors of JSC “Aeroflot”
10 Arbat St, Moscow, Russia, 119002
Mr. Vitaly Saveliev
Director General (CEO), Chairman of the Board of JSC “Aeroflot”
10 Arbat St, Moscow, Russia, 119002
Gentlemen,
The SkyTeam Pilots Association (SPA) met recently in Utrecht, The Netherlands for its semi-annual meeting. At this meeting, the leadership of the Sheremetyevo Cockpit Personnel Association (SCPA /ShPLS) fully briefed us on the fact that negotiations in order to reach a collective labor agreement between the SCPA pilots and JSC Aeroflot management are not moving forward to a consensual solution, and have been effectively stalled for a long time.
The SPA strongly encourages all members of the SkyTeam Alliance to engage constructively with their respective pilot unions to jointly and collaboratively address issues that are critical to the goal of “One Level of Safety” throughout the SkyTeam Alliance. We firmly believe that pilot collective labor agreements(CLA) provide a foundation for necessary safety and security programs that enable our carriers to operate productively and profitably in today’s challenging global aviation environment. These essential programs enable our airlines to operate profitably by providing our customers with the reliable, consistent level of safety they have come to associate with the SkyTeam Alliance airlines.
The respect for flight and duty time regulations is the cornerstone of flight safety and is the foundation of the pilot collective labor agreements in all the other member companies of the SkyTeam Alliance. Additionally, all other SkyTeam Alliance members whose pilots work under collective labor agreements also respect system seniority lists, regulate working conditions with due regard to human factors, and provide for various insurance schemes (including Loss of License insurance). We urge you to do likewise. Aeroflot management must actively engage in dialogue with the SCPA leadership to address the SCPA pilots’ valid labor and safety concerns.
SPA believes that its member unions must have excellent relationships with their highest levels of corporate leadership. This encourages the continuation of high levels of safety and security across each member airline. It is our actual experience and long held belief that this type of relationship results in a true partnership with the pilots, which in turn results in a high value to the business enterprise.
We understand that labor relationships can be complex and challenging. However, we must not let these challenges prevent us from providing the highest levels of safety, comfort and reliability that the SkyTeam Alliance is recognized for throughout the world.
Please share your thoughts on this matter with the Sheremetyevo Cockpit Personnel Association at your earliest convenience so that the SkyTeam Pilots Association may be informed of your progress on addressing these issues.
Respectfully,
Jennifer Jones-Giezendanner
Chairman
SkyTeam Pilots Association
