MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Aerolíneas Argentinas pilots announce full strike for Easter Week

The APLA union claims that their workers' wages are over 83% behind inflation

Aerolíneas Argentinas' pilots have announced a 48-hour strike for Easter Week to demand a salary adjustment. The Airline Pilot Association (APLA) labor union claims that their wages are over 83% behind inflation.

“Given the lack of answers from government officials and company authorities to our repeated claims due to the salary delay that already exceeds 83%, we have decided a total strike for 48 hours starting at 00:00 hs on Thursday, March 28,” APLA said through a statement. The measure will affect all of the carrier's flights for the holiday recess during which passenger travel peaks.

“To minimize the impact on users, we emphasize that notice is being given well in advance,” the union claimed and insisted that “the national government has the opportunity to solve this conflict” because otherwise “the impact on air service and passengers will be its full responsibility.”

In recent weeks, Aerolíneas Argentinas adopted low-cost carrier policies and started charging extra por checked-in baggage and seat selection on its discount fares. Hence, domestic flight tickets will only include a personal item of up to 3 kilos, it was reported. The next higher fare will include the same item, plus a carry-on bag of up to 8 kilos, but not the checked baggage, it was explained.

As President Javier Milei's team is drafting a shorter version of the so-called Omnibus Law that failed to make it through Congress in a move to have it approved this time around ahead of the May Pact, it was also reported in Buenos Aires that Aerolíneas Argentinas is among the companies to be handed over to private ownership at the earliest to curb State spending.

In addition, the Unión Tranviarios Automotor (UTA) grouping bringing together the bus drivers has also threatened to carry out a strike in the next few days in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires (AMBA) over a “non-compliance with an agreement regarding the salary increase,” which may leave the capital with no public transport except for subways and cabs. A measure of this nature was already affecting Bariloche, Chaco, Corrientes, Entre Ríos, Formosa, Jujuy, Mar del Plata, Río Negro, San Luis, Santa Cruz Sur, Santa Fe, and Santiago del Estero on Friday.