Call for solidarity to defend dismissed aviation workers in Ecuador

February 17, 2012

Unions around the world are being urged to support aviation workers in Ecuador who have been dismissed by an airline in what is regarded as an anti-union attack.

Some 80 workers – among them 55 cabin crew staff – were dismissed on 25 January by Aerolane, an airline operated by LAN Ecuador; 49 are members of fledgling union Sindicato de Trabajadores de
 Aerolane (SITA), while two are on the union's executive
 committee.

LAN Ecuador had been due to implement agreements reached with SITA on salaries for aviation workers, cabin crew, maintenance and ground staff as well as ticketing workers at the beginning of January.

In a letter dated 13 February to Aerolane/LAN Ecuador’s executive director Juan Carlos Aguirre, ITF civil aviation section secretary Gabriel Mocho condemned “these mass layoffs.” He explained that the dismissal of 49 unionists violated the principles of freedom of association enshrined in International Labour Organization conventions 87 and 98 and that the laying off of two union board members was “a serious act against the organised labour movement.” Members of the ITF civil aviation section and unions representing workers in the OneWorld alliance airlines had been asked to show lawful solidarity support with workers in the SITA union, to end the layoffs and see the workers reinstated immediately, he said.

Send a letter of protest to LAN Ecuador and a message of solidarity to the union. For further information visit: www.itfglobal.org/solidarity/LAN.cfm.

The SITA was set up in July 2010 as part of an organising initiative led by ITF aviation unions across Latin America.