Iberia pilot union asks government to settle dispute

10th Apr 2012 11:17

Pilots at Iberia, the Spanish airline operated by International Airlines Group (IAG), have held their first day of strikes out of the 30 days that have been planned, causes the cancellation of 126 flights.Each day of strikes is calculated to cost the company an average of €3m.Justo Peral, head of the trade union section of Sepla-Iberia, told Spanish daily Cinco Dias that the Spanish government and IAG Chief Executive Willie Walsh were asked to step in to settle the dispute.SEPLA, which represents Iberia's 1,400 pilots, assured that "unfortunately, SEPLA and management are unable to settle the conflict."Additionally, Peral added that the pilot trade union will request the National Court to reach a "rapid" conclusion on the legality of low-cost subsidiary Iberia Express.By 14:40 in London, shares of IAG were down 2.06% at 176.3p.MD