by CHRIS GRAEME
chris.graeme@theresidentgroup.com
Unions representing employees working for Portuguese national carrier TAP and ANA Aeroportos, including Groundforce and Portway baggage handling companies, announced this week that they will maintain their strike on December 29 despite cancelling yesterday’s (Thursday’s) shutdown.
The decision will only add to the Christmas misery already suffered by thousands of passengers stranded at European airports.
Unions SIMA, SINTAC, and SITAVA cancelled the December 23 strike at Portuguese airports “in consideration of the thousands of airline passengers who are stuck at airports because of the bad weather,” a statement read.
However, on the question of the December 29 strike, the unions were inflexible: “This will send out a clear and unequivocal message from employees to the arrogant Government and TAP and SPdH boards,” said a further communiqué.
The Metalworkers Union (SIMA – Sindicato de Indústria Metalúrgica e Afins), the National Civil Aviation Workers Union (SINTAC – Sindicato Nacional dos Trabalhadores da Aviação Civil), the Aviation & Airports Union (SITAVA – Trabalhadores da Aviação & Aeroportos) and the Union of Airports Handling Technicians (STHA- Sindicato dos Técnicos de Handling de Aeroportos) say they have one key objective: “To make TAP and SPdH’s Boards of Directors change their anti-negotiating, arrogant and inflexible behaviour which is prejudicial to the interests of the workers.”
The decision to cancel yesterday’s strike was welcomed by Groundforce which issued a statement saying that it would “help the company to be able to deliver the usual quality of service to its clients at this difficult time blighted by operational problems at various European airports”.
It “regretted”, however, the decision to maintain the strike on December 29 and added that Groundforce problems could only be resolved through “negotiations inside the company” and furthermore stated that the strike would only serve to “damage the company’s image in the market and put the future of its workforce at risk”.
Minimising impact
On December 13, TAP announced that it would sub-contract services in order to be able to maintain anticipated operations for the strike days, namely using staff from Portway – which belongs to ANA and is the chief competitor to Groundforce.
In this way, “we are seeking to minimise the worst impacts caused by paralysation,” said TAP President Fernando Pinto, who warned there could, however, be delays as a consequence of the strike over attempts to make 336 workers at Faro airport redundant as well as other long-standing grievances over working hours, overtime, pay and conditions.
TAP expected on Tuesday to operate the 300 flights booked for December 29.
Groundforce announced the closure of its base at Faro last month with the company being forced to negotiate on an individual basis with the workforce.
TAP is predicting that this year it will enjoy profits “in the million Euros” although less than €57 million it made last year.
In October, TAP had its best turnover of receipts ever for that month although overall costs from strikes, bad weather and the volcanic ash cloud have left a dent in profits.
An increase in Groundforce losses in 2009 in the region of €29.6 million is partly behind the decision to lay off the 336 workers at Faro Airport.
Even so, TAP described 2009 as its best year ever in terms of profits after having registered losses of €285 million in 2008.
Now TAP has managed to reduce its accumulated losses to just €3.5 million.
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