Iberia sues pilot union over strikes

7th Mar 2012 08:54

Spanish airline Iberia announced yesterday that it filed a lawsuit against the SEPLA pilot union and Stavla, which represents a third of cabin crew members, for illegal and abusive labor strikes. The company wants the strikes to be declared illegal and to receive compensation for the serious damage caused to the business, which it calculates at more than €3m per day.Iberia made the following arguments:- The strikes look to obstruct a decision taken under its legitimate right as a company under article 38 of the Spanish constitution. Furthermore, that decision respects all the agreements signed by the company (the decision in question is Iberia's intention of creating a low-cost subsidiary).- The strikes are abusive. This is evident by the fact that a 24-day strike was called to coincide with Easter Week and the long holiday weekends that include St. Joseph's Day and Labour Day in May. These strikes have an enormous cost for the company and almost nothing for the pilots that carry it out.Last Friday, the pilots announced 24 days of strikes to protest against the creation of Iberia Express. Unlike the strikes held during the Christmas season, this time they were aimed at the busiest travel days:March 16, 19 (St. Joseph's Day weekend), 23, 25, 26, and 30.April 2, 4, 9 (Easter Week), 13, 16, 20, 23 (San Jordi in Catalunya), 27, and 30 (Labour Day weekend).May 2 (holiday in Madrid), 4, 7, 11, 14, 18, 21, 25, and 28.M.G.