Pilots and president of TAP gathered to catch the strike – publico

                 

                         

                 

 
                         

The Civil Aviation Pilots’ Union (SPAC) today announced that it will keep the strike ten days already starts on Friday. The union says it is always possible an agreement to suspend the protests, but so far this has not been possible.

                     

                         The pilots and the president of TAP gathered on the afternoon of Thursday to try to find a solution that avoids the strike which started ten days already scheduled for this Friday. PUBLIC know that the meeting takes place at the company’s headquarters, where the parties try to reach an agreement to allow the cancellation of the strike.

On the table is the set of proposals that the administration of TAP and Government had previously done the Union of Civil Aviation Pilots, claiming the return of seniority suspended since 2011 and a share between 10% and 20% stake in the company. However, the content of the proposal that was made to the pilots is still unknown, and the evolution that has been taking in recent days.

This meeting takes place a few hours a press conference called by the union to the 20h. In the notice sent to the editorial, the SPAC let on that the conference would not serve to cancel the strike, as reaffirmed the intention to continue with the protests. But the government has also scheduled a press conference for 20:30, to react to the announcement that will be made by the union.

However, it is unclear what outcome will be meeting in the afternoon of Thursday with Fernando Pinto. Neither the TAP or the government, not even the pilots want this strike, but it has been difficult to reach an understanding that can hang.

And even if this meeting would result in a lifting of the strike, the main damage is already sunk. Only for this Friday, the 1st day of a strike which is scheduled to May 10, there have been three thousand passengers decided to cancel the trips. The number could be much higher, since there are customers who already have given up the flights, but not yet confirmed this decision to TAP.

The airline estimated carry around 350,000 people in these ten days. A substantial share of passengers is already lost and other important slice opted to transfer flights to alternative dates or ask vouchers with valid for one year, that is, even though not canceled tickets, will occupy the place of future reserves, which will always mean a loss for the TAP.

On Friday, the airline published a notice on its website that lists the flights which will not accomplish if the strike continue. They are a total of 86 bonds that the company has not canceled on purpose, because on the one hand, still has the expectation that the pilots attend the service and, secondly, is to avoid the payment of refunds to customers.