Crisis in the skies of the Antilles. The Air Antilles and Air Guyane pilots’ strike entered its 11th day on Tuesday, leading the group to 300 employees on the verge of insolvency, announced its CEO. An “alarming” situation which, according to the aircrew union SNPNC-FO, justifies the “intervention” of the government.
“The shareholders were ready to recapitalize the group, but now confidence is lost, and everyone is backing down,” Eric Koury, CEO of the Cairo group, told AFP, who intends to file a suspension of payments with the court.
The strike of the two companies which operate between the Antilles and Guyana was initially supposed to last from July 14 to 19. Air Antilles and Air Guyane are subsidiaries of the Interregional Express Airline (Cairo), based in Guyana. They provide mainly short-haul connections between overseas territories but also with third countries in the Caribbean region.
“Wage increases” and broken promises
The pilots are demanding “salary increases” granted after a previous strike in December 2022 and which they say have not been honored.
“All of the commitments made have not been respected”, denounced in a July 7 press release their union, the National Union of Line Pilots (SNPL).
They castigate a “lack of consideration of the demands of employees”, a “deterioration of the social climate (…) which has continued to deteriorate for more than 20 years” and “uncertainties” relating to the remuneration of pilots “among the lowest on the market”.
“We will stop all Caribbean flights to foreign islands”
For its part, the management argues for a 5.5% increase granted to the pilots, “who are now asking to apply a total increase of 20%, plus an extension of the fixed hours, which amounts to increasing the salary costs by 40% for the company, “said Eric Koury.
The leader deplores that “the strikers do not hear the impossibility of acceding to these requests in the context of restructuring” of its fleet of 16 planes, whose activity has been impacted by the Covid-19 crisis.
“We are going to stop all Caribbean flights to foreign islands (which the company is the only one to serve from French territories, editor’s note) to refocus on the French islands” also announces the CEO of the group based in Pointe-à-Pitre, who specifies that 60 to 70% of flights remain insured, despite the strike.
Towards state aid?
Faced with an “alarming” and “urgent” situation, the SNPNC-FO, National Union of Air Hostesses and Stewards, appeals to the State.
Regretting “the lack of consultation and consideration on the part of management”, he asked the Ministers of Transport Clément Beaune and Overseas Philippe Vigier on Tuesday to appoint “a competent and impartial mediator to facilitate constructive negotiations between management and employees”, according to their press release.
“His threatening actions towards the employees, in particular the evocation of a bankruptcy filing, have created a climate of uncertainty and tension within the company”, writes the union in these letters sent to AFP, about the leader Eric Koury.
20 Minutes with AFP
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