A practical FPUR briefing for pilots and cabin crew in Romania
Here is what we know
Capacity changes are already affecting several Romanian bases. Crews in Timisoara (TSR) and Sibiu (SBZ) have already been through changes, while Cluj (CLJ) is also expected to lose one based aircraft from October.
Similar developments are now being discussed in Iasi (IAS) and Craiova (CRA), with Bucharest Baneasa (BBU) also potentially affected. Information reaching FPUR suggests that capacity at Bucharest Otopeni (OTP) may also be adjusted, although this could be seasonal.
Nothing suggests that every base or every crew member will face the same outcome, but enough is happening to make one question relevant: if capacity moves away from your base, what are your options?
Part of a wider network change?
These developments are not happening in isolation. Wizz Air is also making changes across its European network, including a recently announced major expansion in Spain.
We don’t know whether the changes in Romania are directly connected to those plans, and we won’t speculate. What matters for crews here is what happens to their base, position and employment conditions if capacity is reduced or moved.
What are crews being offered?
Based on information shared with FPUR so far, affected crew members are being contacted individually, and different options are starting to appear.
These include voluntary relocation to other bases, while in some cases, senior cabin attendants have reportedly been offered the option to remain at their current base by moving back to a cabin crew position.
We have also received reports concerning fixed-term employees whose contracts may simply not be renewed when they expire. In previous cases seen by FPUR, some fixed-term employees were released from flying duties while continuing to receive their basic salary until the contractual end date.
At the time of publishing, FPUR has not confirmed that any formal individual or collective redundancy process has been initiated.
We have, however, formally contacted the airline and offered to open discussions on behalf of our members while the options are still being considered.
So, what happens next?
Let’s keep this simple. An aircraft moving does not automatically mean somebody is being dismissed. But it does raise questions, and some of those questions are better asked before decisions are made.
FPUR has been through this before. More than once.
An aircraft is being removed. Does that mean redundancies?
No.
Aircraft reduction, relocation and redundancy are different things.
The company may first look at voluntary transfers, moves between bases or other ways of matching crew numbers with available capacity.
For now, don’t jump ahead of the process. Neither will we.
I’ve been asked if I want to relocate. What should I do?
Understand exactly what is being offered before deciding.
Where? When? Permanent or temporary? Under what conditions? What happens if you say no?
FPUR recommendation: DO NOT RESIGN just because your base situation has or may be changed.
Understand your options first.
Resigning means you decide to end your employment. The company deciding that your position is no longer required is a different situation.
If you’re an FPUR member and receive an individual proposal, send it to us.
If you’re not a member and would like FPUR representation, you can find information about joining us below.
What if I don’t want to relocate?
Saying no to a voluntary relocation does not mean that you have resigned.
What happens next depends on what the company decides regarding your existing position.
That’s why our advice is simple: don’t make an irreversible decision before you understand the next step.
If there are redundancies, who gets selected?
One of the key questions will be how any selection is made. Seniority? Performance? Qualifications?
For FPUR, the principle is simple: people should be able to understand why one person is affected and another isn’t.
Any criteria should be clear, objective and applied consistently.
When does this become a collective redundancy?
Not every reduction in jobs automatically becomes a collective redundancy. Romanian law sets specific conditions for when a formal collective process applies.
If that stage is reached, FPUR will monitor it closely.
What can actually be discussed in a collective process?
Much more than who stays and who leaves.
The consultation process can cover ways to avoid or reduce redundancies and measures to limit their impact. It also brings questions such as selection criteria, alternatives, timing, protection measures and possible compensation into the discussion.
Good wages and working conditions do not fall from the sky. And when things change, neither do the solutions.
They have to be discussed and negotiated.
This is one of the most important roles of a trade union: bringing these decisions to the negotiating table before they become individual problems.
Am I automatically entitled to compensatory salaries?
No.
Romanian law does not automatically give every redundant employee a package of X salaries.
Compensation depends on the applicable legal and collective framework and, where there is a mandate to do so, what can be negotiated.
We’ve been here before
2014 | The beginning
Crew members at Wizz Air in Romania organised a union in 2014. What followed was a long legal battle after union members were dismissed and the union leadership challenged the decisions. Romanian courts ordered reinstatements, while the National Council for Combating Discrimination found that 19 employees had been dismissed because of their union affiliation.
Related reading: Court orders Wizz Air to reinstate dismissed union leader
2020 | Pandemic restructuring
Six years later, another restructuring brought FPUR back to court. Four pilots and ten cabin crew dismissed during the pandemic obtained court decisions ordering their reinstatement.
Today | Do it differently
Some of these cases took years to resolve. That’s why our approach today is much simpler:
Talk early. Organise early. Solve things before they become court cases.
For the wider history: ECA — Wizz Air: Legal Turbulence
This is where representation changes things
FPUR can advise and represent its members today. But individual representation and collective negotiating power are not the same thing.
We can help you with your own case.
But if enough crew are behind us, we can negotiate what happens next for everyone.
With the collective mandate to negotiate, these issues can move from individual conversations to the negotiating table.
- Selection criteria.
- Relocation conditions.
- Protection measures.
- Compensation.
- Alternatives to dismissal.
What do I do if this happens to me tomorrow?
Already an FPUR member?
Stay connected with your FPUR representative and send us any individual proposal you receive before making a decision.
Not a member yet?
If you’re not a member and would like FPUR representation, you can find information about joining us below.
👉🏼 Join FPUR
