MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Aerolineas Argentinas grounded by labour conflict

Spanish owned Aerolineas Argentinas is planning to fire 168 staff including pilots and mechanics that since last Thursday are on strike demanding higher wages according to information released Sunday by company headquarters in Buenos Aires.

In an official release the Aerolineas Executive Committee states that it has decided "to send redundancy telegrams to pilots and mechanics that have not shown up at their working posts to comply with the minimum services established by the Ministry of Labour".

The release also warns that the decision will be extensive in the coming days, to all those pilots and mechanics that persist in their attitude of not showing up for work, and once again "do not abide by government rulings (compulsory conciliation)".

However representatives from the pilots and mechanics unions said the strike will continue until there's a reply from the company to solve the conflict.

"The strike will continue today and the coming week if the company does not accept reasonable wage increases; we're going to appeal sanctions from the Ministry of Labour (forcing staff to return to their jobs)", warned Juan Pappalardo the pilots union' secretary general.

The union's spokesperson Daniel Biro quoted by the Argentine press said that the conflict "remains blocked" and that they have not been summoned "by the company or the Labour Ministry to reach a solution".

Aerolineas Argentinas CEO, Antonio Mata, is scheduled to arrive Monday in Buenos Aires to meet Argentine government officials to try and find a way out to the conflict that is costing the company an estimated 1.3 million US dollars per year.

Furthermore Aerolineas said it had begun the paperwork for the dismantling of the company's Maintenance Facilities in Bahia Blanca, "given the absence of mechanics and technical staff which makes the whole operation unviable".

The strike broke out last week with demands for a 45% wage increase and the readmission of 11 staff that had been fired. The Argentine Ministry of Labour then enforced a "compulsory conciliation" which was ignored by pilots and mechanics.

However five of the unions which did not adhere to the strike agreed an "urgent meeting" with Argentine government cabinet chief Alberto Fernandez requesting official mediation in the conflict which has grounded international and domestic flights plus stranding over 30.000 passengers. Aerolineas is Argentina's main domestic carrier.

In full page ads in Buenos Aires Sunday newspapers Aerolineas apologizes for the inconveniences caused by the four days labour strife.