INEM helicopter pilots are going on strike from today, Saturday, until Thursday, following a lack of agreement with the company responsible, the Civil Aviation Pilots Union (SPAC) said today.
“In the absence of an agreement with the company, the SPAC pilots did not see their wishes met and therefore maintained their strike notice, which starts tomorrow [Saturday]”, said the union, in a note sent to Lusa.
The strike covers pilots who work for Avincis Aviation Portugal, a Spanish company that holds the operating contract for medical emergency helicopters from INEM (National Institute of Medical Emergency).
According to the advance notice, “the strike will take the form of a total work stoppage, including overtime work”, but with minimum services decreed.
“The intransigent stance expressed by Avincis Aviation Portugal regarding continuous labor breaches and violations of current legislation and ANAC determinations led to this decision being taken. The physical and mental health of pilots is at stake, as well as safety in flight operations”, can be read on the SPAC page on the social network Facebook.
On November 14th, SPAC had announced the cancellation of the strike that began on the 16th, as “proof of negotiating good will, to resolve the issues in dispute” and the presentation of a new strike notice, for the 25th to 30th of November.
The union had given notice of strike to INEM helicopter pilots on November 2nd, alleging violations of rest times, with the risk of the helicopters being grounded in mid-November.
The newspaper Expresso reported in September that INEM pilots were complaining that Avincis Aviation Portugal was not respecting the minimum rest times, as well as overwork and accumulated fatigue, in addition to not having a company agreement that protects their rights, as do their Italian and Spanish colleagues.
According to the pilots, the lack of rest conditions puts their safety and that of the patients transported at risk, telling Expresso that there are days when they work more than 16 hours, without being paid for it.
According to information from the union, the pilots' complaints to the employing company have been going on for at least a year, without being able to resolve the impasse, with the company remaining “with its back turned” to the workers, “in some cases ignoring opinions of ANAC (National Civil Aviation Authority), against these company practices and following complaints presented by SPAC to ANAC and the Authority for Working Conditions (ACT).
SPAC's complaints “denounce abuses by Avincis” in preparing schedules and counting hours of service provided by pilots, exceeding the legally permitted annual flight hours, with the union warning of the risk of INEM “being unable to operate its helicopters from mid-November” because the annual limits on hours flown by pilots had been exceeded.
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