Ground handling unions cancel strike planned for 31 July, 1, 2 August
Last week, the ministry had that TAP would pay directly to Groundforce workers the amounts corresponding to holiday pay and overdue bonuses.
Three more unions representing employees of Groundforce, Portugal’s largest airport ground handling company, have announced the withdrawal of strike notices for 31 July and 1 and 2 August, meaning that there is no walkout planned until the second half of August.
In a joint statement, the National Union of Civil Aviation Workers (SINTAC) and the Union of Commercial Aviation Staff (SQAC) said that the differences that led to the strike notice being issued – as well as the overtime ban – issued had been resolved.
The Airport Maintenance and Aviation Workers Union (STAMA) also said in a statement that “conditions have now been put in place” to cancel the “all-out strike for 30 and 31 July and 1 August,” thanks to the payment of holiday pay for 2020 and a bonus due in 2021, as promised by Portugal’s government.
Earlier, other unions representing Groundforce employees had announced that they were withdrawing notice of strikes for the end of July and the beginning of August.
The Sindicato dos Trabalhadores dos Transportes de Portugal (STTAMP) is still calling for a strike in the second half of August.
Groundforce had informed employees that after the government guaranteed that TAP, the national airline, would pay for June’s services before Groundforce needs to process July salaries, it would be able to pay the latter on time.
In a message to employees that Lusa has seen, the chairman of Groundforce’s board, Alfredo Casimiro, who is the controlling shareholder, stated that “with the guarantee given by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing that TAP will make Groundforce the payment due for the services provided in June, before the July salary processing, conditions are in place to allow Groundforce to ensure the timely and full payment of July salaries to all its workers.
“With the resumption of the activity of our customers and with the normalisation, which is expected to be definitive, of the payments owed by TAP (which since February has not transferred any amount to Groundforce for services rendered), we have every confidence that there will be no more reasons for any delay or payment in instalments of the wages owed to the workers,” he added.
Last week, the ministry had that TAP would pay directly to Groundforce workers the amounts corresponding to holiday pay and overdue bonuses. In a statement, it explained that it “it was announced today [21 July], at a meeting with Groundforce unions, that TAP will pay the holiday and annual instalments directly to the Groundforce workers.
“This was the solution found to overcome the refusal” on the part of the Groundforce board “to accept the transfer from TAP that would allow payment to the workers of the subsidy they were owed,” the government said.
“At the same time, TAP will reduce the payment defined contractually to settle the invoice for services provided in June, ensuring that Groundforce’s management has sufficient liquidity to pay workers’ salaries in full and on time for July,” the Ministry statement goes on, adding that “the value of the services provided paid by TAP to Groundforce is higher than the salary needs of the company’s workers.”
Groundforce employees had staged an all-out strike over the weekend of 17 and 18 July, forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights. Unions had threatened further stoppages if the continuing problems with the payment of salaries were not resolved.
