Aerolíneas Argentinas announced on Tuesday that it will move forward with a lawsuit against the unions of pilots and crew members for “the damages caused”following the wild strike last Friday at both Aeroparque and Ezeiza, which left thousands of passengers unable to fly.
The company also indicated that it will initiate actions to remove Pablo Biró from the board of directors of the pilots’ union..
“The recent strike measures carried out by the APLA (pilots) and AAA (crew) unions, originally called “informative assemblies” to hide their abusive and illegal nature, They have already caused Aerolíneas Argentinas losses of more than US$2 million.“the statement said.
Along those lines he adds: “As a result, the company will file a lawsuit against the unions involved for the damages caused, mainly due to the loss of profits from the operation and the claims of the affected passengers.. The main representatives of these unions will also be denounced as responsible for these measures: Pablo Biró for APLA, and Juan Pablo Brey for AAA.”
Biró expelled and discounts for those who participated in the strike
In the case of Biró, the company aggravates its responsibility due to its status as a member of the Board of Directors of Aerolíneas Argentinas, stating that Last week’s covert strikes act against the company’s interests. To do so, they announced that they will invoke article 59 of the General Law on Companies to request that the union member be expelled, stating that he is “unlimitedly and jointly liable for any damages and losses resulting from his action or omission.”
Biró’s departure was requested, according to the statement, by the Ministry of Transport, the company’s main shareholder: “The necessary actions will be taken to initiate the process of expulsion from said body.“.
They also announced that they had begun deducting salaries from more than 400 employees, including pilots, co-pilots and crew members, for failing to perform their duties and affecting the company’s flight schedule.These discounts average $150,000 (US$156) per day for pilots, and $50,000 (US$52) per day for crew members.“, the company said.
Friday’s strike affected more than 150 flights and 15,000 passengers at both Aeroparque and EzeizaThe pilots’ strike began at 5 a.m. and lasted until 2 p.m.
Based on this measure, the Government moved forward with declaring commercial air transport as an essential service. What would it mean for flights to become an essential service? Human Capital said that the range could go from a direct negotiation between the company and the union to establishing a minimum level of services to be met..
