Iberia (IB) is facing a further five days of industrial action this month by ground staff, cabin crew and pilots to protest the possible impact on their jobs from plans to create low-cost carrier Iberia Express .
The strikes, planned for Feb. 13, 17, 20, 24 and 29, are being organized by minor unions representing cabin crew and ground staff which did not sign an agreement offered by management that provided employment guarantees through 2015. The SEPLA unions representing the carrier’s pilots joined the protest action.
Last month, IB and majority unions representing flight attendants reached an accord with the main unions representing cabin crew on a two-year extension of employment guarantees and the transformation of some temporary contract into permanent ones . The 4,000 cabin crew members had planned to walk out Feb. 3, 6, 10 and 13.
A similar agreement was reached with two of the unions representing the carrier’s 16,000 ground staff, who threatened to strike Mondays and Fridays from Feb. 3.
An IB spokesperson told,it reached agreements with unions representing 93% of employees. “An overwhelming majority of staff, therefore, support the company in its project to create Iberia Express in order to adapt and to survive in a new competitive environment,” he said, noting that “a minority persists in ignoring the state of the economy and of the airline industry in Spain.”
Last week Spanair stopped operations and Air Europa is planning to reduce capacity and staff by 10% due to falling demand.
He said Iberia Express will start operating as scheduled and this is “obviously not a negotiable matter, since it is crucial to Iberia’s viability.” Iberia Express will create 500 new positions in its first year and recruitment of staff is ongoing, he said.
Article Source : ATW Daily News
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