Aviation News

Iberia sues Sepla pilots union and Stavla cabin staff union for illegal, abusive strike

 Iberia has presented a law suit against the Sepla pilots union claiming the current intermittent strikes called by the union against the airline – both the 36 ones called in December and the new 30 strike days called from April to July – are illegal, and demanding damages, currently estimated at more than 3 millions euros per day of strike. It is filing a similar suit against the Stavla, union representing less than one-third of its cabin staff, for the strikes called last March. 



The suits name both unions and their shop stewards in Iberia. 
In its suit against Sepla, the company gives two main reasons: 

– The strike is intended to obstruct a decision taken by the company in the exercise of its legal prerogatives under Article 38 of the Spanish Constitution, and which respects all agreements signed by the company. 
– It is an abusive strike, and the latest call for strikes – 24 days in the past and 30 days now – during the peak travel period of Easter Week, Labour Day and Saint Isidro weekend and summer holidays, confirm this. Such strikes have a huge cost for the airline and almost none for the striking pilots. 

In its suit against Stavla Iberia gives the same reasons for claiming its strike is illegal and abusive, while also mentioning that: 
– In the latest collective bargaining agreement Iberia cabin staff expressly acknowledged the operation of the Iberia Express unit as an independent company. 
– The flight committee, on which Stavla is represented, unanimously decided to shelve plans for a strike against Iberia in an agreement signed by four of the five cabin staff unions, which recognised that the concerns that had led to the strike plan had all been satisfactorily addressed. 
– It would therefore be a strike not in defence of members’ own interests, but in solidarity with the Sepla pilots union.

Source: Iberia

Leave a Reply