LATAM Airlines Group and the Union of LATAM Pilots (SPL) in Chile reached an agreement on Wednesday, cooling off the possibility of a strike which was set to begin on Thursday, the Union said in a statement, Simple Flying reported. Having recently emerged from its chapter 11 bankruptcy process, LATAM quickly faced a new challenge, the possibility of an industrial action taken by its team of pilots. On Nov. 2, with a 99% overwhelming majority, the pilots in the company voted in favor of a strike. In a Facebook statement, SPL said, “In the midst of the crisis, LATAM Airlines implemented an adjustment that involved the dismissal of some 240 pilots, a 30% salary reduction, and a move towards a variable salary model. We are asking for a clear act of justice: to recover the conditions we had before the adjustment implemented by the company, which hit us very hard.” The Union represents 313 of the airline’s nearly 500 pilots. Both parties reached a fair deal minutes before the deadline expired, managing to defuse a strike which at some point seemed inevitable, said SPL. As reported by Reuters, the union argued that 240 pilots were fired, and compensation was reduced by 30% during the COVID-19 pandemic. While company executives and other employees have since recovered 100% of their pre-pandemic salaries, pilots continue to have a reduced wage, added the SPL. Read more.
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