Africa-Press – Cape verde. The CV Handling union representative gave a “very positive” assessment of the four-day strike today, highlighting a turnout of around 70%, “despite management’s attempts to derail or reduce” the impact of the strike.
According to Ailton Martins, who spoke to Inforpress, the strike had a direct impact on the company’s operations and the aviation sector, with practically all flights experiencing “significant delays.”
“In aviation, a minute is justified, but half an hour is complicated and an hour is serious,” he warned, highlighting that the strike caused embarrassment for airlines, passengers and the company itself, with international repercussions.
The union delegate also criticized the company’s stance, which during the strike period did not maintain contact with workers’ representatives, nor did it demonstrate openness to negotiating or presenting a new proposal.
He stated that management had resorted to “employees on vacation, transferred employees from other islands, and assigned personnel without technical qualifications” to perform different functions, which is contrary to the company’s own protocols.
He recalled that, in March of this year, the company signed an agreement with workers, committing to fulfill a series of demands within two months.
However, the company ended up not complying with the agreement, justifying itself to the General Directorate of Labor with allegations based on labor realities in countries like Spain and Germany, which, according to it, have a completely different reality than that of Cape Verde.
“We work 24 hours a day, with more than half of our services concentrated at night,” he stated.
He explained that, to guarantee flights departing Praia at 8:00, workers need to start preparations in the early hours of the morning, arriving at work around 2:00.
He added that they work shifts of seven, eight and even 12 hours, far beyond the four hours per week allowed by the Labor Code, all in the name of goodwill towards the company, but without due recognition.
Ailton Martins also reported that Praia workers received support from colleagues on other islands, who also expressed discontent and called for workers to unite for a nationwide demand.
“The next step will be to unite workers from Boa Vista, Sal, São Vicente, and the airfields for a national action, preventing the company from continuing to use personnel from other islands as a temporary solution,” he concluded.
CV Handling workers at Nelson Mandela Airport began a four-day strike on Thursday, the 10th, demanding payment of night shift pay and risk pay, “commitments made by the company in March,” but which, to date, “remain unfulfilled.”
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