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The Government has described the privileges of pilots as immoral: from business class tickets to dollar bonuses - Infobae
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El Gobierno calificó de inmorales los privilegios de los pilotos: desde pasajes en clase ejecutiva hasta bono en dólares
El vocero presidencial puso la lupa en las condiciones laborales de Aerolíneas Argentinas, que incluyen salarios elevados, traslados pagos y descansos adicionales. En medio del conflicto gremial, Transporte busca regular la actividad aerocomercial
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September 13, 2024
The presidential spokesman has put the spotlight on Aerolíneas Argentinas' working conditions, which include high salaries, paid transfers and additional breaks. Amid the union conflict, Transport seeks to regulate commercial aviation activity
Adorni se refirió al paro de empleados de Aerolíneas Argentinas
Adorni se refirió al paro de empleados de Aerolíneas Argentinas
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Adorni referred to the strike of Aerolíneas Argentinas employees
In the midst of the conflict between Aerolíneas Argentinas and the aeronautical unions , the Ministry of Transport began to focus its attention on the benefits and favorable working conditions enjoyed by the pilots of the national airline. This new emphasis by Javier Milei 's administration arises in a context where salary negotiations and the measures of force by the unions, which caused the cancellation of flights and affected thousands of passengers, have put the spotlight on the situation of the sector.
Presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni stressed the issue at his press conference on Friday. “Last week the Aerolíneas Argentinas route to Punta Cana was inaugurated. Ten of the 18 Executive Class seats were reserved for pilots and their families who of course traveled free of charge, supported by the company, that is, by all taxpayers, with all the comforts, of course,” he said.
"There is no reason to continue to maintain this type of privilege for a few in an impoverished country like ours," he added.
According to official information, Aerolíneas Argentinas pilots receive salaries ranging from 3 to 10 million pesos per month, depending on their seniority and the number of flights they have flown. In addition to their salaries, they have a series of benefits that are being closely monitored by the Government amid the protests. Among the advantages is that on their birthday they are not required to fly and they have a taxi service at their disposal, which they can use to attend simulators or other activities required by the company. This transfer service is also counted as work time, which allows them to compute additional hours of rest.
The benefits that Transport questions
- Salaries : Pilots receive income ranging from 3 to 10 million pesos per month, depending on their seniority and number of flights.
- Covered transfers : They have a taxi service to travel to work activities, such as simulators or ground tasks, and this transfer time is computed as working hours.
- Day off on your birthday : Pilots are not required to fly on their birthday, an exclusive benefit within their collective bargaining agreement.
- Guaranteed work : They have guaranteed salaries, regardless of the hours actually flown, even if they make fewer flights than planned in the month.
- Free tickets: In past salary negotiations, the company granted access to free business class tickets to avoid salary increases. Today, the government is questioning this. The agreement is in the collective agreement, so the unions have something to fight against.
- Paid Rescheduling : Any changes to your original schedule are paid as additional hours in addition to your base salary.
- Limits on guards : By agreement, they can only be scheduled for a maximum of three monthly guards, which restricts the possibility of rescheduling flights on days to which they are not assigned.
- Uniform and replacement : Aerolíneas Argentinas is responsible for providing the complete uniform, including shoes, with periodic replacement.
- Dollar Bonus : They receive a bonus in foreign currency as an additional payment, a kind of payment for good practices when piloting airplanes.
- Rest conditions : Since the time spent traveling by taxi is considered part of the working day, this generates more rest time after activities, as established by aeronautical regulations.
The Government fired three pilots who refused to make an aircraft return flight (EFE)
Despite having an average of three or four flights a month, according to the government, some pilots work less than 40 hours a month, since any flight rescheduling is paid separately. In this context, on days that the company does not initially schedule them —known as “off” days—, pilots often refuse to fly if they are called up at the last minute. By collective agreement, they also have a limit of three shifts a month and receive a bonus in dollars as a supplement.
Another point highlighted by Transport is that pilots have a guaranteed salary , even if they do not complete the scheduled flight hours. As for their operational needs, Aerolíneas Argentinas is responsible for providing them with the complete uniform, including shoes, and their respective replacement.
The position of the Government, headed by President Javier Milei, seems to be oriented towards analyzing and, eventually, regulating these benefits in search of greater efficiency in the state airline. The Ministry of Transportation emphasizes that Aerolíneas pilots have better working conditions than those observed in other airlines in the region and the world. This occurs in the midst of tensions with the aeronautical unions, which demand salary improvements and reject the policy of adjustments and restructuring that, according to them, the company is applying.
The reaction of the unions was strong. The pilots grouped in the Association of Airline Pilots (APLA) maintain that current salaries are insufficient and that the company's proposals are provocative, while the Government is moving forward with the regulation of the essential nature of the aeronautical service in order to try to ensure the continuity of flights in the midst of the strikes.
In this context, strikes continue to affect air operations, and the conflict seems far from being resolved. Meanwhile, the Government is closely monitoring the benefits and working conditions of pilots, seeking to balance the situation of Aerolíneas Argentinas in the face of the growing demands of the sector.
"Breed"
The Secretary of Transportation of the Nation, Franco Mogetta , referred to the regulations that are being carried out and that limit the measures of force of the unions, and announced that "We are working tirelessly to be able to change the entire regulatory and normative framework that this sector has, those who do not comply with the rules will have to leave."In radio statements, the national official referred to the National Government's planning: "President Milei's line is to fight the castes, the political caste, the unionist caste, and I think there is no caste greater than the pilots, even recognized by themselves, by defending privileges such as traveling in first class, such as the number of taxis they have at their disposal and the costs that this generates for the company. So, the instructions of the president, of Minister Caputo and of the highest hierarchy of the government is that we go to the bottom of this to defend the rights of the people, so that people can travel in peace and continue opening the skies."
“Three pilots have already been dismissed for failing to fulfill their duties, there are sanctions for those who do not comply with the company's directives, and those who comply with the rules will remain working. Biró will be excluded from the Board of Directors of Aerolíneas Argentinas. Civil actions for losses and damages are being initiated, and those who do not fulfill their duties will be dismissed,” added the official.
