TAP employees will hold a protest on 24 June, the day of the signing of the sale agreement between the government and the successful bidder, Gateway.
The demonstration is in protest at the airline’s privatisation and was decided today by the workers’ unions and Groundforce.
MPs Rui Paulo Figueiredo (PS), Michael James (PCP), and Mariana Mortágua (Left Bloc), as well as the head of the general workers union, Arménio Carlos, attended the meeting.
TAP employees decided that they did not want to give up the fight against privatisation as they consider the sale "the destruction of one of the most important companies in the country."
Speaking to journalists at the end of the session, the coordinator of the TAP Workers Committee Vítor Baeta said that "there will be the signing of an agreement with the group buying TAP shares on the 24th of June and we are thinking of holding a protest on the same day."
The workers' representative explained that the action will be coordinated with the three other of the nine unions represented at TAP: SINTAC, SITAVA, SNPVAC which today had representatives present at the meeting.
Baeta added that "Nothing is decided in all of this (privatisation)” referring to the Court of Auditors which needs to approve the deal, as does Brussels.
At the end of the meeting, Rui Paulo Figueiredo said that the socialists will take action if the government introduces a clause in the sale agreement which prevents the later reversal of the deal between the government and Gateway, adding that "if this is included, it is illegal because it violates public procurement laws."
The socialists have said that should they win the autumn election, they will unravel the TAP privatisation to the point where the government owns at least 51% of the shares in TAP.
The Left Bloc’s Mariana Mortágua argued that most of the population is in favour of a publicly owned TAP and that there are several options open to thwart Gateway's purchase plans.
The communist MP Miguel Tiago said that Portugal "needs a government that is at the service of the people and not of economic groups," accusing the Passos Coelho government of wanting to "serve up a major player in the national economy on a silver plate."
Last week the Government announced the sale of 61% of TAP to Gateway, a company owned by the American/Brazilian businessman David Neeleman and the Portuguese businessman Humberto Pedrosa.
