El Al flight attendants want pay hike

El Al, photo: Sivan Farag
El Al, photo: Sivan Farag

The Israeli carrier's flight attendants claim they are often paid less than the minimum wage.

In the wake of El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. (TASE: ELAL) pilots, the carrier's flight attendants have launched a struggle of their own. Its leaders claim that the company repeatedly violates their employment conditions and does not raise their wages and as a result, flight attendants make less than the minimum salary (less than NIS 5,000 per month).

In order to finance this struggle, flight attendants opened a page in the crowdfunding platform Giveback (similar to Headstart), in which they seek to raise NIS 200,000 for legal representation to pursue their demands, as well as gain public support. They have already reached 50% of the target, more than NIS 98,000, most of which, by the way, was donated by the company's pilots.

"You can see that out of the 370 people who contributed to this struggle, 250 are pilots," says flight attendant Noam (assumed name), "which means that pilots also think that our salary is inappropriate, and that we deserve a raise. The pilots also write this in their comments on the page, that our fight is worthy and that 'we are behind you'."

On the fund raising page, the attendants write about the struggle of about 140 permanent employees who have been working at El Al for over 10 years, and who are also fighting for 800 temporary employees, fired by the company every five years to prevent them from becoming permanent employees. "We were in their place not so long ago, and we do not forget where we came from," they write on the page.

The attendants also accuse the management of violating agreements, which, as they claim, prevents them from putting food on the table. "We are poor and hungry," they write, "If we would have been paid as stated in our signed agreement, we would have not been poor. But why do you need a contract if one side does not fulfill what it says?"

Michal (an assumed name), a permanent-position flight attendant and one of the leaders of this effort said that the idea emerged during the pilot's recent struggle. "We followed them because they are the strong employees in the company, and asked for their help. The pilots did not know how much I make, and everyone found out that for the 75 monthly hours each attendant flies, we make less than NIS 5,000."

In addition, attendants complain of not being promoted and of permanent-position flight attendants not being promoted for 15 years. "The company added screening session for pressers' (flight service manager) courses and all kinds of different ranks, and we have not been promoted," she adds. "We waited years, and wages have not gone up, and we remained poor. But with all the difficulties, we love our job and are locked in a golden cage."

"Ronen (an assumed name), a flight service manager, told "Globes" that the contract is violated, for example, in placement for flights to Bangkok, often conducted aboard Boeing-767 planes. "There are no first class compartments in this type of planes, and the permanent attendants are required for destinations with a first class, which also affects the salary. We are also limited in terms of flight hours, and would not have been called for flights because permanent attendants (unlike temporary ones) must be paid a 'call special', and each such day of staying abroad means more money for the company to pay."

Attendants also tell that crew is taken off flights without compensation, and in flights conducted aboard large Jumbo jets, Boeing 747, which were supposed to have two service managers - the company cut off one, leaving the remaining manager to handle a flight with more than 400 passengers on his own for a $850 payment. Instead of the second manager, the veteran permanent attendants were asked to function as a second flight manager, actually replacing him, only for a much lower pay. With this move, the company also saves on hotel accommodations and living expenses abroad paid to each service manager during a stay.

"We were told that the most senior attendant in a flight, who is a permanent attendant, will be positioned in the rear part of the plane (in the tourist compartment) and does all of the service manager's work (manage emergency evacuation and crew, take care of malfunctions) other than duty free sales; in addition, we are also attendants who have to provide service, with no compensation," one of the permanent attendants says.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on December 7, 2016

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2016

El Al, photo: Sivan Farag
El Al, photo: Sivan Farag
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