Ex-Austrian Airlines employees plan 50 mn euros sue   

More than 200 former Austrian Airlines (AUA) pilots and flight attendants are planning to take action against their former employer over severance packages they believe were calculated incorrectly, "Der Standard" reported in its Friday edition.

The operations of AUA were taken over by subsidiary Tyrolean Airways on July 1, 2012, with 117 pilots and 220 flight attendants, including those now lodging the complaints, deciding to resign rather than continue under the new management.

AUA spent a total of 60 mn euros on severance packages, for some individuals up to 700,000 euros.

Lawyer for the ex-employees Roland Gerlach said those involved are entitled to more, and plans to launch a class-action lawsuit against the AUA in February to claim at least 50 mn euros.

Gerlach said still-active employees also had a case to make for further entitlements, which could bring the total sum to "well over 100 mn euros."

The AUA denies any fault in the matter, with spokesman Peter Thier telling Der Standard the company was "confident we have acted legally correctly," and that the company was "forced" to adopt new measures in its pension payments system to ensure survival of the company.