The Secretary General of the company’s trade union, Daniel Bertone, said the date picked ‘corresponds to the 100-percent resumption of operations with, among other things, the return of all the personnel that were yet on partial activities,’ a measure that was adopted by the leadership unilaterally.

In addition, the company is trying to impose a reconversion plan that will cut down 1,500 jobs (18 percent of the staff) and aims at lowering workers’ wages ‘in order to face the consequences of the crisis’, Bertone said.

The company has ‘just obtained a loan of 4.5 billion euros to buy 49 percent of India’s first airport manager,’ for an amount equal to the last year’s billing, a decision that has sparked discontent amid the workers, Bertone noted.

So ‘the crisis justifies that our wages are cut down while (the company) has capability to buy assets overseas,’ said the union leader, which means going back on social conquests and victories coming for a long time in order to end definitely with certain elements of the workers’ remuneration.

The strike is expected to last until next Monday.

jg/llp/mgt/acm