Article from BTNews 16 APRIL 2018
Vueling strike threat
Pilots at the Spanish low-cost airline Vueling, part of the International Airlines Group (IAG) family, are threatening to go on strike for four days over the next few weeks in a dispute over contracts, Spain’s national pilots union SEPLA said on Thursday.
The action is planned for Wednesday and Thursday next week, 25 and 26 April, and on 4 and 5 May after the union alleged the airline was not fulfilling the conditions of the pilots’ employment agreements. Vueling had no immediate comment.
Meanwhile, further talks are due to take place today, Monday, in efforts to settle the latest in a round of strikes that began in February at Air France centred round a demand by pilots, cabin crew and ground staff for a 6% pay rise.
It followed the Air France group reporting a 42% rise in operating profit to €1.49bn (£1.3bn). Staff reacted by saying their pay had been eroded steadily since 2011 while shareholders were gaining.
Air France said the 6% demand was "unrealistic" and initially offered a 1% increase. This was later doubled to 2%, an offer one of the pilots’ unions said was “not serious and does not address the gravity of the situation”.
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