Updated at 11:13 a.m.

Flight departures in the Aeroparque Jorge Newbery airport in Buenos Aires could potentially be affected by an assembly of aviation unions on Monday at 11 a.m., on the first day of winter break in Buenos Aires city and several provinces.

Five aviation unions will carry out both a protest and a press conference in Aeroparque at 11 a.m. Union sources told the Herald that there are no stoppages planned, but things could change during the course of the morning.

“For the time being there will be no strikes, and therefore no delays or cancellations,” said a source at ATE-ANAC, a faction of the State Workers Association (ATE) that represents employees of the National Civil Aviation Administration (ANAC) that regulates aviation in 27 Argentine airports. The source added that all workers are expected to continue working normally after the press conference.

However, similar union assemblies in the past have caused delays in flight schedules and airport services. “You never know. The mood is not the best in this context,” said Marcelo Uhrich, spokesperson at UPSA, a union that represents aviation companies’ superior staff.

The assembly and press conference will be carried out by ATE-ANAC, UPSA, the Aeronautical Staff Association (APA, by its Spanish initials), the Argentine Air Navigation Association (AAA), and air traffic controllers staff union ATEPSA.

“For the recovery of our salaries’ purchasing power. No layoffs of aviation workers. Unity, solidarity and organization,” the unions said when calling for the Monday protest and press conference. “We continue with our fighting plan.”

According to ATE, the assembly’s goal is to reject new regulatory changes in the sector, as well as delays in wage negotiations and “threats of privatization” of public companies. They will also warn about “layoff threats” in the ANAC.

Strike attempt

Aviation workers have recently been affected by several government decisions. Pilots union APLA had announced a strike for July 19, and ATEPSA was planning to carry out nearly-daily 8-hour strikes between July 11-30. They aimed to protest a June decree that reduced the mandatory rest time for pilots, increased service hours and overturned regulations aimed at reducing flight fatigue. Both strikes were suspended after the labor secretariat dictated a conciliation period.

Last week, the judiciary suspended a decree that limited the right to strike for several sectors that the government declared as “essential” — including aviation staff — which meant that they had to guarantee at least 75% of its workers provided their services at all times. The decree stated unions were not allowed to carry out mass strikes. The National Labor Chamber ruled that the articles of the decree limiting the right to strike were not constitutional, because they contradicted basic constitutional principles.

Last May, the government also issued a decree to reform the Air Navigation Code, softening several security norms in public airports. As a result, several positions in that area were no longer necessary. In June, ATE-ANAC said in a statement that this “not only affects labor rights” but also “puts human lives at risk.” 

“Operational security is sacred, and everyone is expecting the worst. There is no physical or judicial security,” Uhrich told the Herald. He added that, on top of this, salaries for the sector “have fallen back by 70%” against inflation.

Rodolfo Aguiar, head of ATE, said in a statement that any measures that affect the normal functioning of airports in the following days are “the sole responsibility of the government” and questioned the “irresponsible” deregulation and flexibilization of salaries and labor conditions.