Members of Portugal’s National Civil Aviation Flight Staff Union (SNPVAC) rejected TAP’s proposal at a general meeting on Thursday and decided to maintain the strike notice between 25 and 31 January, according to an official source.
The crew members rejected TAP’s proposal for the second time, which only met 12 of the SNPVAC’s 14 demands, in an attempt to avoid another seven-day strike, after a two-day strike in December had an impact of around €8 million on the airline.
According to the same source, 857 members voted against TAP’s proposal, 29 in favour, and nine abstained.
The union’s leader Ricardo Penarróias spoke to journalists at a hotel in Lisbon in statements broadcast by SIC and RTP, highlighting the cabin crew members’ dissatisfaction with TAP’s management.
Earlier, the union leader had a meeting with the minister of infrastructures, João Galamba, who, in a note sent by his office, expressed “conviction” that the SNPVAC general assembly would take “a decisive step towards improving the situation of workers and the airline, allowing us to avoid a seven-day strike that would cause serious damage to the company.”
“We will discuss the document, hear the opinions of all members and, in the end, it is the members who will make the decision,” stressed Ricardo Penarróias.
According to the union member, at the meeting with the government, João Galamba “reinforced his confidence in and support for TAP’s proposal.”
“It was a constructive, informal conversation, raising awareness of the importance of the moment, the importance that a strike could have for the company’s financial health. We are always sensitive to this,” said the SNPVAC president.
Asked about the differences between the proposal discussed today and the previous one, Penarróias said that these are “very technical issues,” such as, for example, the return of one more crew member to transatlantic flights, with more than six hours, which were being carried out with a crew of four.
For the union, the absence of an extra crew member on those flights is “questionable” regarding safety and “miserable” regarding working conditions.
Penarróias also pointed out that the compensation of €500,000 to former board member Alexandra Reis also contributed to worsening the dissatisfaction among crew members and other TAP workers, which could influence the outcome of today’s general meeting.
TAP has been in negotiations with the unions for new company agreements while it is undergoing a restructuring plan that involves pay cuts.
(Maria João Pereira | Lusa.pt)
Source: euractiv.com
