The ACV Puls trade union has issued a strike notice because Brussels Airlines intends to resume flights to Tel Aviv (Israel) from this month and plans to force staff to work on them.
By forcing staff to fly to Tel Aviv, Brussels Airlines is breaching previous agreements with the trade unions, under which only volunteers would be used, the union said in a press release. In the current context, the compulsory deployment is at odds with an employer's responsibility to protect its staff from health and safety risks, according to ACV Puls.
"Staff have serious concerns about both their physical safety and the mental and ethical impact of these flights," said Jolinde Defieuw of ACV Puls. "Nevertheless, Brussels Airlines refuses to give employees the option to refuse such assignments. This is particularly grave in the context of the ongoing war and genocide in Gaza."
The strike notice takes effect from Tuesday 1 September. If Brussels Airlines does not reverse its decision, industrial action may follow.
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"Any disruption will be limited exclusively to flights to and from Tel Aviv. ACV Puls will protect any employee who does not wish to fly to a war zone," said Defieuw.
According to Brussels Airlines, the situation is safe enough to resume flights, but ACV Puls disputes this. On a previous occasion when flights were resumed, a rocket struck the grounds of Ben Gurion Airport – the main international airport serving Tel Aviv – shortly before a flight’s scheduled departure.
Belgium's Foreign Affairs Ministry also continues to highlight the volatile security situation and advises against all non-essential travel to Israel and Jerusalem.
"If the Foreign Affairs Ministry advises against non-essential travel, Brussels Airlines cannot act as though Tel Aviv is a normal business destination," said Defieuw.
Brussels Airlines, meanwhile, emphasised that safety is always the top priority. “Brussels Airlines resumed operations to Tel Aviv this summer. During the first few weeks, these flights were operated by volunteers. Now that these flights have been successfully resumed, we can return to the standard procedure for drawing up duty rosters."
"Together with the other airlines in the Lufthansa Group, we will continue to monitor the situation on the ground closely and can adjust our procedures at any time, should that be necessary," the airline said.
