In the last two years, the ETF has implemented the NGB Project – No going back: Protecting rights and promoting social dialogue in aviation through times of crisis.
This project was created under the immediate impression of the Covid-19 pandemic and its profound impact on the aviation sector, particularly on aviation workers and their unions. Many trade unions – and the industry as a whole – were unprepared for such an unprecedented disruption of the entire sector. The unpreparedness of unions proved especially concerning when facing the severe reactions of employers to the crisis: mass redundancies, disregard for collective bargaining agreements, forced salary cuts, etc.
In other words, the pandemic showcased an urgent need for unions to develop crisis preparedness and crisis management capacity – and this is why the ETF developed the NGB Project, with the financial support of the EU. In a time when crises have become more of a rule than an exception in the aviation sector, our unions must anticipate and be ready to react. This crisis preparedness requires tools, which should be maintained in regular times and employed as soon as a crisis appears or looms.
One of the outcomes of the NGB Project is a set of such tools.
Firstly, we have the NGB Toolbox Suite, a practical instrument to be used by unions and union trainers across Europe. It is called ‘suite’, because it includes 3 different toolboxes, each one to be used at different moments of a union’s struggle against a crisis: before the crisis, when the crisis arrives, and while the crisis is being fought. By filling in these toolboxes, union reps will be gathering the necessary information to better plan and react to crises. You can download the NGB Toolbox Suite in your preferred language:
In Bulgarian In English In French In German In Italian In Polish In Portuguese In Romanian In Serbian In Spanish In Turkish
Secondly, we have the NGB Trade Union Guide. This includes the Crisis Management Guide, a thorough study-guide reflecting on crisis management and preparedness from a trade union perspective. This is the analytical basis that allowed for the development of the NGB Toolbox Suites above. You can download it in English here.
These materials are the result of a collective effort of ETF affiliates and allies, the ETF Secretariat, and consultants during the two years of the NGB Project. We would like to thank all individuals and organisations who have contributed to this project in the different stages of its implementation.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.