Seventy-five union leaders meet in Santiago, Chile

Santiago Airport, Saturday, April 11, 2015

Unions from LAN Airlines and TAM Airlines from seven countries expand support for striking LAN Airlines workers

Union leaders representing mechanics, pilots, flight attendants, and ground staff of LAN Airlines and TAM Airlines from seven countries: Chile, Peru, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil and Paraguay are providing support to the striking workers of LAN in Chile. 

·      The union leaders are announcing the escalation and expansion of the conflict throughout the region. 

More than 75 union leaders from the LATAM Group in Chile, Peru, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil and Paraguay are meeting in Chile in order to expand the conflict to each one of these countries.

LAN Airlines is owned by the LATAM Group, the largest passenger and airline cargo company in Latin America, a result of the merger of LAN Airlines and TAM Airlines.  The company continues to operate under these two major brands.

The union leaders meeting in Santiago represent more than 50, 000 workers in the LATAM Group and are unanimous in denouncing the anti-worker practices and the multiple conflicts with aviation workers throughout the region.  These conflicts include the strike in Chile, and the anti-union dismissal of the president of the Ecuadorian aviation union, Jimena Lopez.

The LAN and TAM Airline union leaders are meeting with the striking workers in Chile in order to expand and escalate the conflict and to expose the anti-union policies of the largest passenger and cargo airline company in Latin America.

At Santiago airport passengers were absent from the LAN check-in counters during a demonstration on Saturday by striking LAN workers and their families.

LATAM is a full member of the One World Alliance. The group has bilateral agreements with American Airlines, Iberia, Qantas, Lufthansa, All Nippon Airways, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, Air Canada and Aero México.

The union leaders meeting in Santiago, Chile are members of the LATAM Network of Unions and affiliates of the International Federation of Transport Workers (ITF) representing 4.5 million transport workers in the world, in around 700 unions in some 15o countries.