LATAM Pilots Ongoing Strike: Demand for Pre-Pandemic Conditions Amidst Continued Flight Cancellations

Original article: Huelga sin fecha de término: pilotos de LATAM exigen recuperar condiciones pre pandemia mientras la aerolínea sigue cancelando vuelos

The strike by the LATAM Pilots Union (SPL) that began on November 12 in search of improved working conditions continues indefinitely, as the airline proceeds with ongoing flight cancellations.

Approximately 500 pilots, representing more than half of the professionals operating flights for the airline in Chile, are participating in this mobilization, forcing the company to make adjustments and reschedule both national and international operations.

Indeed, this Sunday, the largest airline in Latin America announced further flight cancellations, scheduled from Tuesday, November 18, to Thursday, November 20.

According to reports from EFE news agency, the company has not provided details regarding the number of affected customers or the total flights that have been canceled.

LATAM Pilots Demand Restoration of Pre-Pandemic Conditions

The LATAM Pilots Union (SPL) has stated that there is no defined end date for the strike as they seek to reach an agreement with the company to halt the work stoppage and address the conditions they are demanding, which have yet to be met by the airline.

They pointed out that LATAM’s financial reports show an increase in profits and indicate the airline’s «privileged position in global aviation». As a result, the union insists that pilots should return to the conditions they had to significantly reduce due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

The pilots argue that during the pandemic, they accepted salary cuts and adjustments to their working conditions to ensure the company’s continuity, commitments that the airline now refuses to reverse.

The catalyst for the strike was the failure of the mediation process at the Labor Directorate. The SPL accused LATAM management of «refusing to continue discussions» by prematurely closing this process, which still had five days left for negotiations.

«It is inexplicable that the company’s management led us into a strike that we have always considered avoidable, given the profits the company has earned and the moderation of the labor demands,» said Mario Troncoso, president of the SPL, announcing the work stoppage.

Troncoso added, «The company never presented us with the figures on which it based its economic proposal; it refused to honor its commitment to restore the conditions we temporarily reduced in 2020.»

«It began transferring flights to subsidiaries in what we consider a replacement of striking workers
and now refuses to continue talking,” he condemned.

The union emphasized the moderation of its demands compared to the financial health of the airline, stating their requests amount to «less than 1%» of the $1.5 billion in profits LATAM allegedly accumulated over the last 18 months.

“This time, with LATAM’s $1.5 billion in profits, the bright industry projections, and the very modest request from the pilots, we expected the company to show reason during the mediation process. It pains us to see that the management has used more than $800 million this year to distribute profits and buy back shares, yet is unwilling to recognize the efforts of its own workers,“ questioned Troncoso in statements reported by The Clinic.

In response to these accusations, LATAM Airlines issued a statement reaffirming «its ongoing willingness to engage in dialogue with the union and its commitment to reach a mutually beneficial agreement for all parties.» However, after several days of strike action, the conflict remains unresolved while new flight cancellations occur.

It is worth noting that LATAM, which originated in 2012 from the merger between Chile’s Lan and Brazil’s Tam, emerged at the end of 2022 from Chapter 11 of the U.S. bankruptcy law, which it filed for in May 2020 amid the pandemic’s impact on the airline industry.