The Iberia Strike Committee received, a few hours before this Friday's meeting with representatives of the company and the General Directorate of Labor of the Canary Islands Government, two resolutions from the Provincial Labor and Social Security Inspectorate confirming the workers' complaints during the labor dispute that began on June 26. One expresses that the company's attitude has been contrary to the right to strike established in the Constitution, and the other ratifies that in any case, the airport management does not allow the free entry of the Strike Committee to the workplace.
The Committee declares that these resolutions make it very clear that the actions of the airport director, Dionisio Canomanuel, are anti-union practices and contrary to the rights and freedoms of the striking workers and those who represent them. However, the Labor Inspectorate, understanding that Spanish Airports and Air Navigation (AENA) is not the employer of the striking workers, says that the proposal to sanction the public entity is not appropriate, and suggests that, if its conduct may seem contrary to the rights of the Strike Committee, the competent jurisdictional route will proceed, either to claim compensation, if appropriate, or criminal responsibilities, if the strikers deem it so.
Regarding what concerns Iberia, the Labor Inspectorate, after conducting the due investigation, literally points out that the company has curtailed the right to strike by hiring temporary workers on June 17 and 19, after the strike notice, as it implies the anti-union use of business powers. The resolution even cites that, since the strike is an instrument of pressure, the employer is prohibited, while the protest lasts, from replacing the strikers with workers who were not linked to the company at the time of being called.
Furthermore, the Inspectorate warns that Iberia's intention in another case was not to replace sick leaves with temporary contracts because it was found that this has not been the company's conduct. In fact, since May 2003, there have been 342 sick leaves and there have never been temporary contracts. The Inspectorate concludes that the infraction is "very serious," establishing the maximum degree of sanctions, which is 90,000 euros.
The forecasts for today's meeting
León Fajardo, spokesperson for the Strike Committee, reiterated the commitment to suspend the protest from the moment negotiations with the company begin. However, he is pessimistic about the results of today's meeting because if the meeting is scheduled for 12:00 noon, it seems unheard of that the Iberia representatives coming from Madrid are scheduled to return at 2:00 p.m. Can a conflict of this magnitude be resolved in two hours? Yes, if Iberia accepts all the workers' demands, however, it seems unlikely. In any case, Fajardo believes that with goodwill, the conflict can be resolved in 10 minutes.
