Brussels Airlines management announced on Wednesday its plan to reduce the size of the airline by encouraging voluntary redundancies over the coming years in response to low profits.
Management told union representatives on Wednesday that the airline must now turn its attention to profits, rather than staff growth, which it has focused on over the last couple of years.
“The intention is that job losses over the next three years will only be voluntary departures. We will, of course, provide maximum support to those who depart in their search for a new job,” spokeswoman Kim Daenen told De Standaard.
However, the specific implementation of the plan remains unclear, according to representative of the Confederation of Christian Trade Unions Paul Buekenhoudt, who added that the plan’s announcement had been premature.
‘There are a number of ideas on the table, but they are not yet concrete. The consequences of the Thomas Cook bankruptcy and the impact of the reduction plan are also not entirely clear. I hope that there will be clarity by the end of November, with figures included,” said Buekenhoudt.
“We can only discuss voluntary redundancies only if we know what the criteria are,” Buekenhoudt explained.
As part of its downsizing plans, the airline will also cut flights, according to VRT NWS.
Evie McCullough
The Brussels Times
