Buenos Aires. A 24-hour strike by Argentine aviation unions on Friday caused 319 flight cancellations and affected more than 30,000 Aerolíneas Argentinas passengers, the company and unions reported.
Javier Milei’s government promises to declare the service essential, to avoid its suspension in the future.
“The company estimates that the economic cost of this measure will exceed 2.5 million dollars,” the Argentine flag carrier said in a statement.
By calling for a strike, the pilots’ union (APLA) denounced on the X network a 70% salary arrears compared to an inflation of 236.7% year-on-year in August, and criticised “the lack of proposals by the company”.
Local newspaper La Nación reports that unions are calling for an increase of at least 25%.
The strike will run from Friday at noon (3:00 p.m. GMT) until Saturday at the same time and will affect Aerolíneas Argentinas flights from the domestic airport of Aeroparque in Buenos Aires and the international airport of Ezeiza, on the outskirts of the capital.
The strike also affects the airlines Flybondi and Jetsmart due to the disruption of the ramp service at Aeroparque.
The secretary general of the Association of Aeronautical Personnel (APA), Juan Pablo Brey, told Urbana Play radio that since Milei took office in December, the purchasing power of aeronautical personnel has fallen by 40%.
“We have cabin crew who are earning 729,000 pesos (730 dollars at the official exchange rate) and ground crew who are earning 500,000 pesos (500 dollars), when low-cost airlines earn double that,” he said.
Aerolíneas Argentinas, for its part, considered the strike to be “untimely, abusive and out of context, promoted by union leaders in an irresponsible manner.”
“Of the total number of people affected, some 28,000 had planned trips within the country, another 5,500 to regional destinations and the remaining 3,500 flights to the Caribbean, the United States and Europe,” Aerolíneas Argentinas added.
Presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni said at a press conference that Milei will sign a decree later today “that establishes the guidelines for declaring civil and commercial aeronautics as an essential service,” which would allow guaranteeing at least a percentage of the service even during a strike.
“Those who stop today will be, as appropriate, fined and sanctioned,” he added.
#Strike #aviation #unions #Argentina #flight #cancellations
– 2024-09-19 12:01:01
