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Wildcat strike disrupts flights
EUROCYPRIA (ECA) pilots yesterday staged a six-hour wildcat strike that affected four flights and hundreds of passengers all over a government decision to cut the airline’s fleet by one aircraft from five to four.
The strike came amid government efforts to merge Eurocypria with Cyprus Airways (CY) in a bid to save both ailing airlines from going under.
“Five aircraft are necessary for the company at the moment and what the minister is trying to do is to transfer around 50 flights per week to CY,” said Andreas Kalos, chairman of ECA pilots. “These are moves designed to create impressions and lack substance.”
The 6am to 12pm strike disrupted four flights – two from Larnaca to Germany and Norway and two from Crete to the UK.
Passengers of the 6.05am flight ECA859 to Munich and Dresden were transferred to CY and departed for their destination at 12.05pm.
There was an even a longer delay for passengers travelling to Bergen, Norway, on flight ECA868 that was scheduled to depart at 7.35am.
The flight was rescheduled for 5.30pm through Viking Hellas.
British tourists at Heraclion, Crete, had to wait for the strike to finish before departing for Bristol and Humberside at 1pm instead of 7.30am.
On Thursday, Finance Minister Charilaos Stavrakis warned that Cyprus was in danger of being left without an airline if the merger between the two airlines does not go through.
The state owns a majority stake in CY and is the sole owner of ECA.
CY this week posted a €25.5 million loss for the first six months of the year while the state recently bailed out ECA with a €35 million cash injection.
“I am really saddened if this government, the minister, went to parliament a few months ago, amid reactions, and took €35 million to put into the company while feeling it had no future,” Kalos said. “We put €35 million in this company to come and kill it in six months. Why don’t they let the company breathe?”
Kalos said a company could not become profitable from one day to the next.
“We are doing well. We have taken on new flights, we have improved aircraft leasing contracts, the workers have accepted pay-cuts and at this moment the company is on an upward course,” Kalos said.
He stressed that they were not against the merger but serious decisions had to be made.
“We are not against the merger. If the state goes ahead we are on their side,” Kalos said. “But we want serious decisions and the decisions taken yesterday (Thursday, to cut the fleet) were not serious.”
Meanwhile CY pilots yesterday wondered how their company ended up in the red once more after the efforts to make it more competitive.
“It is sad and worrying for us workers in CY see that despite the serious reduction in pay and other rights (since 2005) to save our company, we are once more before tragic questions,” a statement from their union, PALPU, said. “Why was the company allowed to reach this point? When and by whom will responsibility be assumed?”
PALPU said there was a need for one carrier with the proper structure as soon as possible.
“We are asking for a proper and functional national carrier for which we, and the people of this country, will be proud,” the union said
