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Pilots at Iberia, the Spanish airline took strike action in March/April 1999, leading to chaos at the airports over several weeks, one year after a previous strike against the company's privatisation. However, the high-earning pilots failed to win public support.
The SEPLA-IBERIA trade union represents all 1,300 pilots at Iberia, which gives it great bargaining strength with the management of the airline. One year after the Iberia pilots took strike action against the company's privatisation (ES9802246N), the union decided to call strikes on 26-31 March and 1-5 April 1999, coinciding with the increase in air traffic due to the Easter holidays.
The pilots argue that the company is unwilling to negotiate a series of articles in the company's sixth collective agreement, on which a preliminary agreement was reached in October 1998, and that it is failing to comply with previous agreements. In particular, the union is opposed to the dismantling of the Iberia goods fleet and the closure of the Viva-Air subsidiary. SEPLA is also asking the company to pay the taxes on the free air tickets given to pilots, and to increase hours of rest between flights and compensation for extra time off for trade union duties. Finally, the pilots are also calling for a redefinition of the profile of management and an increase in the share capital of the company.
Iberia has responded that the pilots' economic demands are inadmissible for a group of workers that earns far more than any other within the company. It adds that some of the demands have already been satisfied, that others have been rejected by the courts and finally that SEPLA does not have a management function to authorise it to make certain demands.
Although a minimum service plan applied that covered 95% of the service, the strikes had major repercussions, with more than 100,000 customers affected and losses of about ESP 4 billion. This was because a series of factors created a context favourable to chaos. These included the increase in flights over the Easter holiday period, the restriction of air space due to the military operations in Yugoslavia and the poor organisation of some of the main Spanish airports. Even after the strike had ended, there were still many delays, though some said that this was because of a work-to-rule by pilots.
The negative reaction of public opinion was overwhelming. Very few understand the demands of the pilots, who have a starting salary of ESP 9.5 million a year, rising to ESP 27 million after 30 years' service, and maintain a strict control of employee promotion. In comparison, an aeronautical engineer in the same company has a starting salary of ESP 3 million rising to ESP 10 million after 30 years, while the average annual wage in Spain is ESP 2.4 million. The strike has also highlighted serious organisational shortcomings in the airports. All the parties involved - the airport management, the airlines, the pilots and the government - now wish to overcome them.
There has also been another consequence for industrial relations. Members of Parliament from the governing conservative PP party and the opposition have begun to call for the regulation of strikes in public services. The main trade union confederations, CC.OO and UGT, have tried to calm the situation, reminding the politicians that taking strike action is a constitutional right and stating that any regulation must be carried out with the consent of the social partners.