2024-04-23

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<< atgalThe airport – is a ticking bomb?

2010-04-07

In many departments (duties) staff is laid-off. New "delicate" way is invented to reduce wages: some duties are liquidated, and other jobs with the same duties established, but with new labour contract, with less pay per hour.  Employees eager to save the job, forced to accept it.

In addition, virtually all of the duties regulations contain a clause which requires an employee "and to obey other directors instructions." Since they were not clarified, the administration use it by forcing workers to work entirely unrelated to their direct responsibilities.

The main part of the entire staff team consists of aviation security people. During the bargaining for collective agreement, it was promised to save their jobs. But in the company's strategic plan is drawn from currently employed over 400 people at the end of the year to remain less than 200. So, the manager’s vision for country's strategic object is that the company will no longer have security, or information, or other terminal services, just the management which keeps supervisory functions. All other services would be for purchase, because without them the airport cannot survive. In order to attract new air companies, services selling company must meet certain international requirements of ICAO. Incomprehensible to anybody who wants to destroy the existing aviation security service, which fulfill these requirements. To achieve this takes many years to prove it to international organizations and institutions to invest huge amounts into the updated machinery and technology, train staff and improve their skills.

Is the administration, when purchasing all of these services, particularly to ensure aviation safety, trying to make reports showing how to reduce costs and increase profits, would not cause significant damage to the company and the state?

Maybe we should ask the companies who are planning flights from Vilnius Airport, as well as ordinary passengers, whether they in these times of terrorist threats, times, are willing to fly from the airport, which is bound to ensure aviation security by the company that does not have any experience and still paying less than before tries attract existing employees.

It seems that in favor of its alleged profit the manipulation is on human security, prestige, and the entire state, on everything what was achieved by this time.

As the head of the airport company ignores the official trade union and does not respond to inquiries that concern people, negative mood prevails among the staff. People are uncertain of tomorrow and are completely in the dark. The goals and aspirations are doubtful; they are built on the foundations of ruins, completely ignoring what has been created, and the only seeing in front of him longer Litas. What was built on the "bones" of people does not hold for a long time.

All remember how loudly one of Gediminas Žiemelis represented airlines declared bankrupt, leaving to the airport about 15 million LTL in debt. It has been said that if not the debt, then the airport without it would easily survive. The debtor was listed as the biggest villain. But time has shown that this debt is already possible to write off, because nobody is going to return the money. The same bad Žiemelis, bankrupting unprofitable company feels perfect with other companies in the airport and expand their business. Airport Authority for the same previously unwanted Žiemelis transfers some of its activities. Additionally to charter flights, aircraft rental and maintenance, ground services, the company took over the filling of fuel (the airport remained the fuel storage functions); food production and supply to the aircraft, catering facilities (airport liquidated all of their own) and special aircraft tug towing services (airport tugs were left without work and in process of selling them).

Company executives at each opportunity stresses that the employees must be loyal to the company. However, they put no effort themselves. Loyalty should not occur at the request, but form according to the authority's efforts to maximize and to protect the social interest of workers.

It is a shame that with the new manager seems to have begun good faith dialogue between employers and employees, but then ended with ignoring and silence ... Probably before the storm?

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