The strike by workers at state-owned Aerolíneas Argentinas, who are demanding better wages, forced the rescheduling of 185 flights and affected around 15,000 passengers, according to official sources in Argentina this Friday (6).
The sector’s unions announced on Thursday (5) the strike with a total stoppage of activities for nine hours, which, at the moment, is harming operations at Ministro Pistarini International Airport, in Ezeiza (Buenos Aires province), the main airport in the country, and at Jorge Newbery Airport, in Buenos Aires.
The Argentine Airlines Workers Association (AAA) said in a statement that it had “made every effort to avoid conflict” but had no choice but to take these measures “until it receives an adequate offer that takes inflation into account.”
In response, the president of Aerolíneas Argentinas, Fabián Lombardo, told the Radio Mitre broadcaster that the strike is a “savage” measure by the unions, “who have not understood that Argentina has changed”.
According to Lombardo, the unions broke off negotiations because of the company’s refusal to give pilots a 70% raise when the company was offering 11%, and said the striking employees have an average salary of 5.2 million pesos (about R$30,000).
The president of the state-owned company explained that, among the benefits granted to the pilots, are the guarantee of executive class tickets for them and their families, transfers from their homes and extended vacations, in addition to not working on birthdays.
The Argentine government also said the strike “lacks logic” as wage negotiations to reach an agreement are still open.
“This is a strike that lacks any logic. At no point were negotiations to reach an agreement concluded and this is affecting thousands of people,” presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni said at a press conference.
The unions justified the strike by alleging a “shameful salary level” for workers and the “lack of will” of Argentina’s state airline, from which they are demanding a salary update based on the country’s inflation.
“Given the evident lack of will of Aerolíneas Argentinas to advance in a salary increase that adjusts to inflationary indicators, we will deepen the union action measures,” said the Airline Pilots Association (APLA) in a statement.
Previously, unions held assemblies at airports between August 19 and 30, preventing the normal operation of Aerolíneas Argentinas and other airlines, with dozens of flights canceled or rescheduled.
#Milei #government #criticizes #strike #Aerolíneas #Argentinas #logic
