The sound of chickens coming home to roost already can be heard at the Socialist Party’s headquarters as the flock of unions representing over 70% of TAP’s diverse workforce are insisting that the new socialist government holds to its promise that the airline should not end up in private hands.
The election promise of new Prime Minister in waiting, António Costa, was that the state should always hold at least 51% of TAP’s shares.
Union leader Luciana Paso commented today,
"We have waited quietly, so as not to damage the company, but what we witnessed raises many questions: how is it that the Government is guarantor of the airline’s debt whereas before it could not be, and why did the State not try and sell the land (the company's headquarters near the airport) if we are now told it is worth €150 million?"
The chairman of the National Civil Aviation Flight Personnel Union asked what will happen to the TAP Group's companies that are on the land that Gateway is now selling?
The three main unions refused to sign a pre-privatisation agreement with the government over job security and have found that the sale process has raised many questions, especially since the signing of the sales contract that saw 61% of TAP acquired by Gateway.
All unions now are demanding that the new government, when it takes office on Friday, reverses the privatisation deal, as promised, and at least ends up in the position of owning a majority of TAP shares.
Three unions refused to sign the memorandum with the government in December 2013 which guaranteed no immediate job losses while the state remained a shareholder, or within the first two and a half years after the sale.
Other unions did sign and are waiting to see if Gateway will stick to the agreement. All unions want the new government to reverse the deal.
António Costa appeared to go back on his reprivatisation promise early on, when on November 7th he added the proviso “"the reversal of privatisations will depend on the cost.”
