The unions at Brussels Airlines are threatening to take action, such as a strike, following the dismissal of three flight attendants. The three refused to fly to Ghana after the cleaning crew reported pests on board, including fleas and bedbugs.
According to Brussels Airlines, it was a false alarm. However, the action of the three crew members caused the flight to depart later and “flagrantly violated certain procedures, causing damage to the company and our passengers,” said the airline, which therefore decided to dismiss the three employees.
False alarm
According to the unions, the cleaning staff reported finding insects, such as fleas and bedbugs, on a plane ready to fly to Accra. As a result, an external company and a member of the Brussels Airlines maintenance team were called in. After checking, they concluded that it was probably a false alarm. The pilot then signed off on the aircraft, and it departed for Ghana.
However, five crew members were not reassured and refused to fly. Two of them were eventually persuaded, but the other three – flight attendants with 30, 27, and 20 years of experience, respectively – invoked their rights to refuse a flight on the grounds of being “not fit to fly” (NFTF).
Flying personnel can always indicate that they feel mentally or physically unfit to fly, and airlines must respect that. The underlying idea is: “If you’re not fit to fly, you’re not safe to fly.” The safety of passengers, colleagues, and the aircraft always comes first.
‘Dangerous precedent’
Nevertheless, a few days later, the three, who also insisted that the plane would be disinfected before departure, were dismissed for urgent reasons. The management argues that the “not fit to fly” procedure cannot be invoked for any reason. However, their legal position is weak, as the NFTF procedure is a safety requirement and falls under aviation regulations and labor law protections.
The BBTK and ACV Puls trade unions consider the sanction to be “grossly excessive.” They attempted to mediate, but management remained firm in its position. The unions fear this sets a “dangerous precedent,” especially because no crew member would dare say in the future that they are not fit to fly and threaten industrial action. This would be inconvenient for Brussels Airlines, as the fall break is coming soon.
A strike notice has not yet been submitted because staff meetings will be held first. “But industrial action may follow,” said BBTK union representative Olivier Van Camp, especially if management does not reverse the dismissal.
