The Association of Aircraft Protection and Safety Technicians and Employees (ATEPSA) has announced a strike plan will restrict the start of domestic and international flights during the End of year partiesthe time of greatest air movement in the country. In addition, the measures affect flight planning and could lead to problems Delays and cancellations at various airports from all over the country.
At this point, the conflict has been unresolved for several months. The union had already carried out this in November Partial interruptions that had an impact in cargo aviation, in protest against the non-compliance with agreements signed with the Argentine Air Navigation Company (EANA), the state-owned company that subsequently manages air traffic control services Weeks of complaints with no answers.
According to ATEPSA, the deterioration of the combat plan is a response to the stagnation of negotiations and the lack of formal responses from the company. They claim that “since the current EANA authorities took over in 2024, a…” persistent lack of dialogue and an inflexible attitudeboth in terms of salary and a critical operational situation that we have warned about“said the union of controls in a statement.
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The central points of the demand are the reintegration of laid off workers for no reason at airports with staff shortages, checking amounts allocated for refreshments, updating work history, responding to more than 60 pending operational claims and the resumption of joint negotiations.
At the same time, the union questioned the company’s lack of response to the measures adopted last month. “Even given the real impact on the service, there have been no calls to defuse the conflict,” they said, warning that the labor and pay situation in the industry continues to deteriorate. Meanwhile, EANA assured that they remained ready for dialogue and emphasized the need to support the negotiating bodies.
In fact, the Department of Labor established one new hearing scheduled for Wednesday, December 17th at 10 a.m., with the aim of bringing the positions closer together and avoiding further complications during the holidays. A virtual hearing had already taken place last week, but no agreement was reached.
What is the timeline for strikes that will impact flights?
The strike plan announced by the air traffic controllers union will come in the middle of peak season and could test new restrictions on violent measures. Given this scenario, the Ministry of Labor is exploring the possibility of mandatory arbitration Ensuring flight operations during the holidays:
According to the reports, the measures will be applied in specific time windows and mainly affect launches:
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Wednesday, December 17th, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.: Restriction of departures of flights to national destinations.
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Thursday, December 18th, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.: Restriction of departures of flights to national destinations.
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Tuesday, December 23rd, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.: Restriction of departures of flights to national destinations.
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Saturday, December 27th, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.: Affecting flights with international destinations.
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Monday, December 29th, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.: Impact on all aviation at all airports in the country.
The union has already made it clear that the measures You will only reach the startsby restricting permissions for aircraft on the ground. Emergency, health, humanitarian and government operations, as well as operations related to search and rescue operations, are exempt from the restrictions and will continue to operate as normal.
At the same time, the conflict coincides with that Parliamentary debate on labor reformthat challenges the validity of outdated collective bargaining agreements and restricts the right to strike in essential services such as air traffic control, beginning this week in the nation’s Senate.
The CGT criticized the government for saying the labor reform would be retroactive: “It was outright murder.”
At the same time, the General Confederation of Trade Unions of the Argentine Republic (CGT) called for a mobilization in Plaza de Mayo from 3 p.m. on Thursday to reject the official project of President Javier Milei. This measure is part of a phased battle plan includes the joining of ATE, CTA and UOMbut without complete paralysis of activities.
MV/EM
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