Government calls on unions, TAP to reach agreement, avoid strikes

Portugal’s minister for infrastructure called on Tuesday for an understanding between the crew union and the board of TAP to avoid the announced strike days and the consequent worsening of the company’s economic situation.

“The appeal that I can make is for the management and union to make an effort to reach an understanding and for TAP to be spared another five days of strike,” Pedro Nuno Santos said this afternoon when journalists asked him about the intention of the National Civil Aviation Flight Staff Union (SNPVAC) to go ahead with at least five more days of strike action until January 31.

In addition to these five days, the SNPVAC also announced it would keep the strike scheduled for this Thursday and Friday.

“We have a company that is still recovering. It is recovering even faster than we foresaw in the restructuring plan. It is a company that is still struggling. It was very important that we were up to this great task which is to save TAP and save the jobs at TAP and that there was an understanding and that there were no more strikes,” said the minister.

Also this afternoon, TAP’s chief executive told Lusa that she was willing to try to find solutions to avoid further disruption.

Christine Ourmières-Widener “deeply” regretted the decision of the National Union of Civil Aviation Flight Personnel (SNPVAC) and stressed that the company “is willing” to meet with the union, after the two-day strike of crew members this week, which the SNPVAC decided today, in a general assembly, to maintain.

“We hope to find solutions,” stressed the TAP CEO, recalling that the last proposal presented by TAP met nine of the union’s 14 demands and represented, as a whole, a gain of €8 million for crew members.