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We have been investigating how best to kill a zombie. Apparently, whatever your choice of weapon, the key is to aim for the head and don’t miss. Oh, and don’t let it bite you.
The zombie in question is a University of Ghent study on atypical employment in the aviation sector. As discussed in this month’s Aviation Intelligence Reporter, many are treating this study as Gospel evidence that the use of indirect employment contracts in the aviation industry poses a risk to working conditions and safety.
Those who have read the report will wonder why it’s getting so much attention. The report does not actually find evidence of a link between atypical employment and working conditions. Meanwhile, it explicitly concludes that safety concerns are unrelated to whether a crew member is typically or atypically employed.
But don’t let the truth get in the way of a political agenda. The report has found its way into a number of European parliamentary questions in the last year, with MEPs pleading that Something Must Be Done. The only good news in this is that you can be sure that few, if any, of the MEPs have actually read the report. It would be more worrying if they had.
It is worth pointing out that the study was commissioned by, amongst others, the European Cockpit Association (ECA). This report forms part of their persistent and loud campaign for…. well, we’re not quite sure what they are trying to achieve given that even their own research cannot identify a problem that needs addressing.
Unfortunately for the ECA, the University of Ghent study has gained little traction with the decision-makers, as evidenced in the European Commission’s recent Aviation Package (see this month’s Aviation Intelligence Reporter for more discussion on this). The Commission’s response is always the same: aircrew are protected by European social legislation and all airlines must abide by strict safety rules regardless of how they employ their crew.
Still the questions continue to come in.
In its most recent responses, there are signs that the Commission is finally losing patience. It has recently stated that it will only assess any concerns about atypical employment in the aviation industry where there is supporting concrete cases and facts. That’s a not so subtle way way of saying that the University of Ghent study does not meet this standard. Furthermore, the Commission is at pains to point out that atypical employment is actually less common in the aviation industry compared to other sectors and the economy as a whole.
Don’t expect this to be the last we hear of the University of Ghent study. Like a terrifying zombie, it seems to come back time and time again no matter what the Commission throws at it. Time to fetch a bigger weapon?
