TAP's management is doing well in running the minimum agreed service during the current May1st to May10th pilots strike, but the union is said now to be planning further industrial action as the underlying grievances have not been dealt with.
Asked whether there could be another strike this May, the union replied that "new measures will be announced in good time" and that a general assembly of its members is scheduled.
Pilots attended a union meeting on Monday and discussed the possibility of extending the current strike, holding another strike later in May and whether to hold a strike to coincide with June national holidays on the 1st and 10th.
The question over the pilots’ right to a 15-20% shareholding in a newly privatised TAP has yet to be resolved with the government denying that this was agreed as part of a package of promises to avert a strike last winter.
The government still plans to sell a controlling interest in TAP and has authorised those in its hierarchy to start muttering about having to close down the business if strike action continues due to the economic impact it is having.
The government can pull the privatisation process at any time but this would leave it saddled with a hugely indebted, publicly owned business that it's current appointee is incapable successfully of managing.
Offers for the majority shareholding in TAP have yet to be announced but any bidder will need to have a Plan A, B and C when dealing with the nine unions that have controlled TAP for years in the absence of a strong and capable management.
Should the sale go ahead at the bargain basement price now expected, the government spin doctors will struggle to explain to Portugal's taxpayer how this was a good deal, but hanging onto TAP and continuing to lose money is an unattractive alternative.
An offer of €1 for the business would be considered a fair one as the buyer will be taking on unions and well over a billion euros in debt. This would leave the Treasury in an embarassing position but at least the business would no longer be a drain on the taxpayers' resources and patience.
