The two aeronautical unions that bring together all the flight personnel of Aerolíneas Argentinas, the Association of Airline Pilots (APLA) and the Argentine Association of Aeronavegants (AAA) have declared themselves to be on “alert” against the Government decree which returns to privatize Aerolíneas Argentinas – this time, to hand it over to its employees – and which establishes the total opening of the airspace for national and international flights.
The Aircraft Guild, whose owner is Moyanista Juan Pablo Breyhe did so with a statement in which he defined DNU 70/23 as “the most serious attack on the national Constitution and the division of powers”. since the resumption of democracy“.
The pilots’ union, chaired by Pablo Biró, has not yet released any statement. But he released a red “News”-style plaque on social media with the words “State of Alert”.
Weeks ago, when Javier Milei said he wanted to hand Aerolíneas over to his employees, Biró said that “they will have to kill us”, although hours later he recanted. The APLA is one of the smallest unions in terms of number of members (less than 2,000) but the most powerful among the aeronautical unions.
The “ATE-ANAC National Coordination” which brings together the state workers of National Civil Aviation Authoritywho, like the AAA, declared themselves to be in a “state of alert and mobilization”.
The other unions, which usually speak together under the name “United Aeronautical Unions”, they remained silentalthough it is foreseeable that there will be some in the next few hours joint statementaccording to some of its spokespersons.
Commercial aviation activity also took place Thursday without incident: a far cry from the pot banging that occurred in several neighborhoods on Wednesday evening, at airports. There were no meetings or demonstrations.
The tone of the statement released by Aeronavegantes suggests the type of opposition that the unions as a whole will propose. The strategy mainly aims to disqualify the “open skies” policy and the possibility of airlines hiring foreign crews to operate domestic flights.
The union stated that “the modification of the Aviation Code and the implementation of the Open Skies policy, It is the most direct threat to our sources of employment that we faced. Opening the internal market to foreign airlines, with foreign staff, is the most direct route the destruction of Argentina’s airline industry as we know it.”
According to the AAA, this “open skies” policy has already been imposed in countries such as Chile, Peru and Ecuador “with the consequent precariousness and absolute flexibility of our business. Meanwhile, the more economically developed countries, on the contrary, They strongly protect their airlines and the sovereignty of his heavens.”
Regarding the reprivatization of Aerolíneas Argentinas, whose share package according to the DNU will be handed over to its employees through the Participatory Ownership Program (PPP), the Aeronavegantes union stated that “under the pretext of “handing over” the company to the workers , and prepare it for early privatization, hides the defunding and definitive condemnation of the company on which more than 12,000 families depend”. And he cited as an example the disappearance of other airlines from neighboring countries such as Varig (Brazil) and Pluna (Uruguay).
“We aeronautics declare ourselves in a state of alert and mobilization in defense of our work and the livelihood of our families”, concludes the statement.
For their part, the ATE-ANAC workers underline that the mega decree “puts Aerolíneas Argentinas in concrete and direct danger, allowing the privatization of EANA (the National Air Navigation Company, another state body created during the government of Mauricio Macri) and opens its doors to the disappearance of the ANAC“. And that the same” is a policy that it puts us on alert and towards which we will be critical and refractory.” (sic).
Source: Clarin
