Union says company did not guarantee 100% of minimum services during INEM strike

This Sunday, the Union of Civil Aviation Pilots (SPAC) accused the company that has the contract to operate INEM emergency helicopters of not fully providing the minimum services required for the pilots’ strike.

“Confirming what the SPAC had warned, the minimum services set by the Portuguese state this Sunday were not 100% guaranteed due to Avincis’ failure to comply, which lends credibility and validity to the pilots’ claims,” the statement said. this Sunday by the union.

The minimum services established by the government included the maintenance of two helicopters based in Macedo de Cavaleiros (Bragança region) and Évora for the entire notice period, until 30 November.

According to SPAC, pilots working at Macedo de Cavaleiros exceeded their work shifts on Saturday, “which meant that this helicopter remained uncrewed this Sunday from 08:00 to 09:25.”

The union explained that they worked three and a half hours longer on Saturday than expected in the schedule, “without receiving any remuneration for this reason, as is customary in this company.”

INEM (National Institute of Emergency Medicine) helicopter pilots went on strike from Saturday to Thursday due to the lack of an agreement with Avincis Aviation Portugal, the Spanish company that has a contract to operate emergency helicopters.

According to the advance notice, “the strike will take the form of a complete stoppage of work, including overtime,” but with a specified minimum level of services.

“The unyielding position expressed by Avincis Aviation Portugal regarding persistent labor irregularities and violations of current legislation and ANAC regulations has led to this decision. The physical and mental health of the pilots, as well as safety during flight operations, is at stake,” they explained. SPAC on the social network Facebook.

On November 14, SPAC announced that it was calling off the strike that began on the 16th as “evidence of goodwill in negotiations to resolve the disputed issues” and that it was issuing a new strike notice from November 25 to 30.

The union notified INEM helicopter pilots of a strike on November 2, claiming a violation of rest periods, with the risk that helicopters would be grounded in mid-November.

Expresso newspaper reported in September that INEM pilots had complained that Avincis Aviation Portugal did not comply with minimum rest periods, as well as overwork and accumulated fatigue, and the lack of an agreement with the company protecting their rights, as do their Italian and Spanish colleagues.

Pilots say the lack of rest facilities compromises their safety and that of the patients they transport, telling Expresso that there are days when they work more than 16 hours without being paid for it.

According to the union, complaints from pilots to the employer company have been ongoing for at least a year, but have not been able to resolve the impasse, while the company remains “turned its back” to workers, “in some cases ignoring the opinion of ANAC (National Civil Aviation Authority) against the practices of this company and following complaints filed by the SPAC with ANAC and the Authority for Labor Conditions (ACT).

SPAC’s complaints allege “abuses by Avincis” in scheduling and calculating pilot hours in excess of legal annual flying hours, with the union warning of the risk that INEM “will not be able to fly its helicopters from mid-November” because annual The pilots’ flying hours were exceeded.