Union accuses TAP of replacing Menzies workers

The Metallurgical and Related Industries Union (SIMA) accuses TAP of “sabotaging the strike” at SPdH/Menzies (formerly Groundforce) by illegally replacing strikers with maintenance technicians from the carrier, but the carrier guarantees that it is acting “in strict compliance with the law”.

"SIMA publicly denounces what we already knew, but today [Sunday] was documented: TAP is sabotaging the ongoing strike at Menzies/SPdH. And it is doing so outside the law, in plain sight, and with the government's complicity," the union said in a statement released this Sunday.

Contacted by Lusa, an official TAP source stated that the company "is doing everything to minimize the impact of this strike on its passengers, but – it assured – always in strict compliance with the law."

To prove the complaint, the union attaches an internal notification of the operation, issued this morning, confirming that “TAP — Maintenance technicians are replacing striking workers, carrying out 'exit phonics' (critical communications between the board and cockpit ), which are the responsibility of SPdH/Menzies”.

"TAP usually hides behind its 49.9% stake in Menzies to deny responsibility. But today [Sunday] it became clear that when it comes to breaking a strike and crushing workers, TAP even gets on board the planes," the union claims.

Highlighting that the direct or indirect replacement of strikers is “a gross violation of the strike law”, SIMA guarantees that “TAP is not just 'collaborating'”, but rather “operating on the ground as a substitute for the 'handling' company” and, “therefore, committing an illegality”.

In light of this situation, the union believes that TAP's management, led by Luís Rodrigues, "owes the country an explanation" and must "assume direct responsibility for repressing a legitimate strike."

Additionally, he asks “where is the Portuguese Government”, which, as “the majority shareholder of TAP and aware of the employment situation at Menzies, cannot pretend it didn’t see it”.

"TAP's participation in handling tasks during the strike directly compromises the State. Silencing this complaint is accepting the destruction of the right to strike in Portugal," SIMA accuses.

Reporting that the current strike at Menzies “revealed what they wanted to hide: a scheme of labor repression, where TAP, Menzies and the State act as a bloc against workers,” the union guarantees that it “will not remain silent.”

Menzies Aviation workers are this Sunday carrying out the third of four days of a strike called by SIMA and the Transport Union (ST), which began at midnight on Friday and continues until midnight on Monday.

This is the first of five four-day strikes scheduled for weekends through early September. In August, strike periods are scheduled for August 8-11, 15-18, 22-25, and 29-September 1.

Workers' demands include an end to base wages below the national minimum wage, payment for night shifts, better salary conditions, and maintaining access to the parking lot under the same conditions as before.

The Arbitral Tribunal determined minimum services for assistance to all flights related to critical security situations, emergency, military, State and TAP night-stop flights on a European scale, as well as regular connections between Lisbon and the Azores and Madeira, and between Porto and the archipelagos.