LATAM Pilots’ Union Announces Strike After Failed Negotiations with Airline

Mario Troncoso, the president of the union, stated that "unlike us, the company never showed us the figures on which it built its economic proposal, and refused to honor its commitment to restore the conditions we temporarily reduced in 2020."

The Citizen

11/11/2025 5:31pm

Original article: Sindicato de Pilotos de Latam confirma huelga tras fracaso de negociaciones con la empresa

After the company declined to extend mediation by the Labor Directorate for an additional five days, the LATAM Pilots’ Union declared the start of a strike that was previously approved by 97% of its members.

The union emphasizes that the ongoing negotiations occur against a backdrop of «extraordinary profits» for the airline: «Between 2024 and the first half of 2025, LATAM reported $1.5 billion in earnings: $977 million last year and $600 million in the first half of 2025, ranking among the 12 largest airlines in the world.»

The current conflict stems from the company’s refusal to adjust pilot salaries to the pre-2020 conditions: «To mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic and ensure the viability of a company on the brink of collapse, pilots agreed to cut their income by half. Five years later, they are the only group within LATAM that has not regained their pre-2020 conditions. Executives, on the other hand, have returned to those conditions,» stated the union, which represents about half of the airline’s captains.

In an interview with Teletrece Radio, the union president, Mario Troncoso, asserted that «unlike us, the company never showed us the figures on which it built its economic proposal, refused to honor its commitment to restore the conditions we temporarily reduced in 2020; it started weeks ago to transfer flights to subsidiaries in an act we consider to be replacement of striking workers, and now, they refuse to continue discussions,» criticized the leader.