Investors challenge budget airline Wizz Air over labour rights

A group of 14 investors has called on Wizz Air to allow employees to form and join trade unions, saying their research suggested the London-listed budget airline was discouraging the practice in breach of staff rights. The investor group, which raised their concerns in a letter seen by Reuters, included Britain's Ardevora Asset Management and Denmark's AkademikerPension. The Danish fund threatened to sell its holding if the Budapest-based firm did not respond. Wizz Air said it could not comment on specifics as it was in "active discussion with the investors directly". But it said it took engagement with staff "very seriously" and was confident that structures and processes to support open and transparent engagement were working "extremely well". In the letter, the investors said freedom to unionise was enshrined in global and regional conventions and laws but said their research suggested a pattern of behaviour at the company to block employees doing so. The letter highlighted six examples dating back to 2014, when a Romanian court fined the company after 19 employees were dismissed shortly after starting a union.<br/>