MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Sturzenegger underlines new conditions for Aerolíneas Argentinas strikes

The State-run carrier needs to have a profit before demanding any salary increase with taxpayers' money, Sturzenegger underlined

Argentine Deregulation Minister Federico Sturzenegger recalled that, as per President Javier Milei's Decree 831/24, the aviation industry had become a basic service and therefore the right to unrestricted strikes grounding all flights would no longer be possible. Sturzenegger made those remarks through his X account after last week's labor measure affecting over 37,000 travelers nationwide when Aerolíneas Argentinas pilots and crewmembers demanded wage updates to keep up with the country's rampant inflation.

Sturzenegger also highlighted that the workers of the flag carrier were reluctant to give up their privileges such as free business class tickets for them and their relatives. This benefit reached retired employees or those celebrating their honeymoons.

Henceforth, workers wanting to go on strike “must give 5 days notice,” Sturzenegger wrote. “A commission is formed which within 24 hours must define the flights to be maintained during the strike, which cannot be less than 50% of the flights affected during the strike and guaranteeing the connectivity in routes with only one service,” he added. “If the commission does not reach an agreement, the Secretary of Labor will define which services must be maintained,” he elaborated.

“Unfortunately, Congress denied the possibility of privatizing a company, which even though it operates in a context of total commercial freedom, reiterates its vocation of enjoying its own privileges at the taxpayer's expense,” Stuzenegger also underlined. “Fortunately, as of Decree 831/24, they will no longer be able to affect the rights of all Argentines.”

Last week, Sturzenegger insisted that wage increases for Aerolíneas Argentinas pilots should be “zero” and claimed that the measure was because they were no longer given free “business seats.” The strike by the Airline Pilots Association (APLA) and the Argentine Airline Pilots Association (AAA) to demand a salary increase affected over 37,000 passengers on 319 Aerolíneas Argentinas flights. Sturzenegger also argued that Aerolíneas Argentinas' numbers were in the red despite it being “managed with total freedom,” due to which there was “absolutely no reason to justify that it has a loss” because “there are companies that compete with it, that do not have a loss” and are “managed with private capital from their shareholders.”

The minister underlined that the airline should be “managed efficiently and not generating salary increases at the taxpayer's expense.” Therefore, “the increase that the Government can grant to Aerolíneas is zero percent. Until the company has a profit, which it can have because it can manage its company with total freedom in terms of prices, it seems to me that it cannot come to the taxpayer to ask for more resources.”