Flybondi and JetSMART workers grouped in their respective union associations, ATAF and ASTJ, issued a statement today in which they strongly protested against the government’s air commercial policy, which they claim «privileges a few and violates the freedom of citizens», and is designed to perpetuate «privileges of a handful of officials and union members with retrograde practices that destroy jobs».
Among the governmental actions that they defined as «encouraging the destruction of the low-cost airlines», the workers listed the generation of unfair competition «favoring the flag carrier with absolutely ridiculous subsidies» and putting sticks in the wheel so that they cannot work efficiently; applying measures to increase the costs of low-cost airlines; imposing tariff bands to increase fares and «eliminating free competition, harming those who can least afford it and contributing to the destruction of regional economies»; and closing the airport of El Palomar.
They also mentioned the imposition of onerous airport taxes; the promotion of the negotiation of collective bargaining agreements for each activity that «do not represent us at all and whose only purpose is to generate unviable working conditions for Flybondi and JetSMART that will lead to their closure», highlighting that they were able to negotiate crisis agreements during the pandemic that allowed them to maintain all the labor sources; and the prohibition of the entry of ramp workers to Jorge Newbery Airport, which forced 38 employees to be relocated to other bases.
These «destructive measures», they explained, caused that LATAM Argentina «was kicked out of the country and left 1715 families in the street», that «fewer and fewer passengers can travel by air» and that «the freedom of association of Flybondi and JetSMART workers is violated».
In view of this, they did not discard to call for a mobilization so that the government listens to their claims to defend their jobs and to stop the «abuses against Flybondi and JetSMART workers», as well as to raise awareness in the society about the «damage and harm that they are already causing to them by exploiting them with abusive and immoral taxes to sustain obscene subsidies and that now they will impose more expensive and unviable air tickets; all in benefit of a few and solely for the advantage of the flag airline, which consumes more than U$S 700 million every year».
«We are proud of our work, of being able to daily provide a real alternative to passengers so that every day more and more Argentines can fly in a true sense of social justice for those who can afford less and who for the first time we’re able to access air transportation», they concluded.
Between Flybondi and JetSMART they captured during 2021 almost a third of the Argentine domestic market. According to preliminary data obtained by Aviacionline through the National Civil Aviation Administration, between January and December Flybondi mobilized 878 thousand domestic passengers (14% of the market) and JetSMART 848 thousand passengers (13% of the market). Aerolíneas Argentinas maintained its leadership with 72%, transporting 4.31 million passengers.
