Mexico: Pilots and crew members claim Aeromar’s failure to pay and consider going on strike

Mexico’s largest regional airline has been experiencing financial difficulties for several years. The health crisis ended up raising its debts.  Those include salaries and benefits of more than 25 million Mexican pesos (USD 1,211,575) to the company’s employees. The Airline Pilots Union Association (ASPA) and the Aviation Flight Attendants Union Association (ASSA) have denounced the non-compliance and do not dismiss the possibility of a strike.

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Humberto Gual Ángeles, Secretary-General of ASPA de México, in a press release issued on January 24, pointed out that the unilateral salary reduction and the violations of the Collective Labor Agreement (CCA), which expired on January 25, have already been reported. However, the pilots approved an extension until February 2 to avoid a strike and give Aeromar a chance to reconsider its position and cover 9 million Mexican pesos (USD 436,167) owed.

The company agreed with the 113 pilots to reduce their salaries by 10%, which meant 60 million Mexican pesos (USD 2,907,778) in savings, but the company plans to make a further unilateral 30% reduction.

«ASPA pilots have been willing to negotiate. Since the pandemic outbreak, we have supported the company with more than 60 million pesos in salary reduction; Aeromar is still flying today in part due to the contribution that, since 2017, its pilots have made,» assured Humberto Gual Ángeles.

Meanwhile, members of the Asociación Sindical de Sobrecargos de Aviación (ASSA), denounced constant non-compliances in payment agreements for almost 16 million pesos (USD 775,408).

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ASPA states that they contributed to help with the health crisis for the past two years. But now they are asking the company to do its part and look out for the interests of their workforce.

«Aeromar refuses to comply: in every negotiation, it presents payment schemes, but then never materializes them; this has been the constant since December 2020. We have postponed the strike as a sign of good faith that negotiation is possible. However and once again we appeal to the administration’s sensitivity to comply with the agreed commitments,» ASPA said.

Aeromar is also in arrears with creditors such as the Mexico City International Airport (AICM).

It was recently announced that Aeromar is seeking financial support from Bancomex for a USD 75 million loan. It was also confirmed they have intentions to operate from the Felipe Angeles International Airport (AIFA).