Some deft work from Pires de Lima this afternoon gave hope to thousands of Christmas travellers pre-booked on TAP flights.
The Economy Minster said after a meeting with the TAP multi-trade union group that on Monday we will know if his proposals have been accepted and whether the planned four day strike can be averted.
Pires de Lima has proposed the creation of a working group to examine the concerns of TAP staff and he said this evening that it was made clear that he wanted the strike called off for the period between the 27th and 30th of December in view of the consequences of holding a strike over the holiday period.
"The ministry offered the possibility, upon cancellation of the strike, of setting up a working group to discuss the points of conflict that TAP employees have," said António Pires de Lima after the meeting.
"On Monday we will have a response from the TAP unions platform on the proposal that we have made."
On Wednesday, the TAP trade union platform, made up of representatives of no less than 12 separate unions, announced strike action between Christmas and New Year against the planned privatisation of the airline.
The unions have decided on continuous and coordinated industrial action on 27, 28, 29 and 30 December, “to sensitise the government of the need to halt the privatisation process,” according to the unions spokesman.
There may be another statement this evening but if not, on Monday travellers will find out if they must yet again suffer the consequences of booking with TAP which, from a reliability point of view, is now among the worst in the industry.
