TAP this Sunday “outright” rejected the cabin crew union’s accusation that the company would mark strike absences for off-duty workers on days of free duty or assistance that were not activated.
“TAP flatly rejects the SNPVAC allegation [Sindicato Nacional do Pessoal de Voo da Aviação Civil]according to which the company would classify the absence of employees on days off and holidays, who did not participate in the strike and who would not work on the strike days that occurred on December 8 and 9, as absence from work.” said an official source, following a request for a response from Lusa on the subject.
In a statement to members, accessed by Lusa, SNPVAC, which called for cabin crew strikes on Thursday and Friday, “deplored TAP’s pursuit intentions against cabin crew, before, during and after the strike period”.
This is reported by an official source of the Portuguese airline”after the strike declared by SNPVAC, which caused enormous damage to the company, its customers, the country and all Portuguese taxpayers, TAP limited itself to applying the legal regime provided for in article 536 of the Labor Code”.
That is to say: “according to the law, the strike suspends the contract of the worker taking part in the strike, including the right to remuneration and the duties of subordination and attendance”, so that “workers on strike consequently lose the right to receive the respective compensation , under the terms of the law,” said TAP.
SNPVAC recalled that it had already condemned the “email sent to the crew asking them to ‘inform TAP whether or not they would participate in the strike’ as failure to respond would be considered a tacit consent that they had joined the strike”.
The union pointed out that under the civil code, the employee’s failure to respond does not constitute a declaration that he will participate in the strike.
“But TAP, make a clean slate of the law and the CRP [Constituição da República Portuguesa]in a single act, framed in the face of an irrepressible fury at the success of our attack, maintained his position and marked an offense for joining the attack on the crewmen who had assists on the 08th and 09th (which had never been activated !), so don’t gather legal support to deduce whether or not they joined the strike,” the union note reads.
According to the SNPVAC, TAP “also marked an absence due to a strike for crew members who were on leave or days off”, adding that “the company even sent an ’email’ to crew members who were on vacation, asking if they were joined the strike.”
The union said it will “challenge the coercive and discriminatory behavior that TAP has adopted and will adopt”.
Crew representatives also accused the airline of ‘masking’ the number of flights operated during the strike, suggesting that of the 267 flights scheduled for the two days, only two flights of minimum services were not operated.
According to SNPVAC, TAP Air Portugal operated three flights during the crew strike period and the remaining ones “mainly lack support and are therefore easily exposed”.
SNPVAC also reiterated its availability to negotiate with TAP to agree on the company deal, but underlined that, if TAP maintains the same stance, it will comply with the decision of the December 6 general meeting to have at least five more strike days until January 31. .
Source: DN
