The three aviation sector unions called for a “silent march” to “continue to bring everyone’s attention” to the situation, which is “unfortunately currently happening at TAP Air Portugal”.
On Friday, the leaders of the National Union of Civil Aviation Pilots (SNPVAC), the Union of Civil Aviation Pilots (SPAC) and the Union of Aircraft Maintenance Technicians (SITEMA) announced a protest that unites “for the first time in the history of national aviation.” , pilots, cabin crew and maintenance technicians.”
“August 16, at 8:30 a.m., from departure from Campo Pequeno and arrival at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housingwe will once again waive holidays, vacations and weekends, thereby ensuring that no passenger is harmed by our protest,” the joint statement said.
The goal, they say, is “continuously improving the quality of the service it provides to its customers and the sustainability of the company itself while maintaining the high operational safety standards for which we have always been recognized.”
“Workers and passengers are together when they travel and together in this fight to align between management options and what the country needs from TAP,” the three unions say, also stating that “aircraft [da TAP] they don’t fly without pilots, without flight attendants and without good service, and they don’t even take off from the ground.”
Last week, Sitema expressed concern about TAP’s “course”, rejecting and “deeply” regretting the administration’s decision to turn to external suppliers employing technicians fired by the operator.
SPAC also accused TAP management of “wasting” summer revenues due to “millions of mistakes” during the year when outsourcing services.
In a statement, SPAC management reiterated warnings of “millions of errors” in TAP’s management, “which is wasting revenue generated this summer as a result of high operating performance, which jeopardizes the recovery and future of the Company, as well as the efforts of the Portuguese taxpayers.”
Last week, SNPVAC announced to the government a request for an emergency meeting after TAP was awarded a contract to provide new external services (ACMI), according to a memo sent to employees.
In a message that Lusa then had access to, SNPVAC said it was told that “TAP has resorted to another external service provider from another company called ACMI” and that “it seems to have become fashionable.”
Meanwhile, TAP told Lusa on Saturday that it has spent less on all-inclusive plane rentals to date than it did in 2018 and 2019, contradicting the union’s allegations.
“From the beginning of the year to the present, TAP has been spending on ACMI [aluguer de aviões com tudo incluído – Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance e Insurance – avião, pessoal, manutenção e seguros] only 45% of what was spent in 2018 and 70% of what was spent in 2019 over the same period,” a TAP source told Lusa.
