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"The INTRODUCER"
Interesting organisation, SEPLA. This copyrighted story from ATI a little while back...
Iberia pilots' leaders anger own members
Rainer Uphoff, Madrid (23Sep02, 12:52 GMT, 530 words)
Pilots union leaders at Spanish flag-carrier Iberia are under fire from some of their own members after making safety allegations against the company as part of a campaign to unseat chairman Xavier de Irala and president Angel Mullor.
The damaging claims, which were widely aired in the Spanish media, were behind last week’s decision by the airline to replace large numbers of cargo-hold lining panels on its Airbus narrowbodies, meaning some could not carry any hold baggage in the interim.
Other accusations by the SEPLA union are that the airline has not complied with baggage reconciliation rules, has cut back on maintenance, and has suffered a higher than normal number of engine failures on its Boeing 747s during the summer – claims that the airline flatly denies.
ATI has seen clear evidence of a group of pilots urging the union to conduct a campaign to bring down De Irala and Mullor by “consuming” them with claims of unsafe practices - regardless of whether they are justified.
Messages on the Iberia pilots’ Internet chatline show members openly calling for the downfall of De Irala and Mullor and making it clear that spurious safety allegations should be used if necessary, so long as they damage “the duo”.
A SEPLA spokeswoman did not deny that the messages existed but threatened possible “legal action” against any pilot found to reveal their contents to the media.
The allegations about the hold-liners related to longstanding repairs that may have lacked formal Airbus approval but which have never previously been considered unsafe.
The campaign appears to be driven by hardline pilots still furious with De Irala and Mullor for standing up to them in bitter labour negotiations last year which drastically curtailed SEPLA’s notoriously powerful role at the airline. The final settlement means SEPLA cannot strike before July 2005.
One pilot opposed to SEPLA’s actions calls the campaign “suicide”, saying: “I am not alone among my colleagues in believing that this is the worst way to defend our rights. Our current union leaders have the problem that they need to justify their role and build up their identity as Sepla cannot go on strike. Instead, they are constructing false or ambiguous cases over what can most harm Iberia's public image: its safety and maintenance practices.
“I think our union leaders have lost their common sense, particularly in the current worldwide crisis."
The pilot continues: “No pilot would fly an aircraft if there were the slightest suspicion of maintenance problems or lax safety procedures.
“We know that Iberia has world class maintenance and safety procedures and that the Spanish CAA is very strict and unforgiving, but the flying public does not have this insider knowledge.”
An Iberia spokesman says: “We would never put at risk the lives of our passengers and crew, nor our reputation nor our air operators’ certificate.”
She points out that the size of Iberia’s maintenance operation has naturally declined as it has reduced the number of types in the fleet. “Obviously maintaining a 30 year-old Boeing 727 is much more costly than a brand new Airbus A320. It is obvious that this reduction is maintenance costs is not at all at the cost of safety.”
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
Iberia pilots' leaders anger own members
Rainer Uphoff, Madrid (23Sep02, 12:52 GMT, 530 words)
Pilots union leaders at Spanish flag-carrier Iberia are under fire from some of their own members after making safety allegations against the company as part of a campaign to unseat chairman Xavier de Irala and president Angel Mullor.
The damaging claims, which were widely aired in the Spanish media, were behind last week’s decision by the airline to replace large numbers of cargo-hold lining panels on its Airbus narrowbodies, meaning some could not carry any hold baggage in the interim.
Other accusations by the SEPLA union are that the airline has not complied with baggage reconciliation rules, has cut back on maintenance, and has suffered a higher than normal number of engine failures on its Boeing 747s during the summer – claims that the airline flatly denies.
ATI has seen clear evidence of a group of pilots urging the union to conduct a campaign to bring down De Irala and Mullor by “consuming” them with claims of unsafe practices - regardless of whether they are justified.
Messages on the Iberia pilots’ Internet chatline show members openly calling for the downfall of De Irala and Mullor and making it clear that spurious safety allegations should be used if necessary, so long as they damage “the duo”.
A SEPLA spokeswoman did not deny that the messages existed but threatened possible “legal action” against any pilot found to reveal their contents to the media.
The allegations about the hold-liners related to longstanding repairs that may have lacked formal Airbus approval but which have never previously been considered unsafe.
The campaign appears to be driven by hardline pilots still furious with De Irala and Mullor for standing up to them in bitter labour negotiations last year which drastically curtailed SEPLA’s notoriously powerful role at the airline. The final settlement means SEPLA cannot strike before July 2005.
One pilot opposed to SEPLA’s actions calls the campaign “suicide”, saying: “I am not alone among my colleagues in believing that this is the worst way to defend our rights. Our current union leaders have the problem that they need to justify their role and build up their identity as Sepla cannot go on strike. Instead, they are constructing false or ambiguous cases over what can most harm Iberia's public image: its safety and maintenance practices.
“I think our union leaders have lost their common sense, particularly in the current worldwide crisis."
The pilot continues: “No pilot would fly an aircraft if there were the slightest suspicion of maintenance problems or lax safety procedures.
“We know that Iberia has world class maintenance and safety procedures and that the Spanish CAA is very strict and unforgiving, but the flying public does not have this insider knowledge.”
An Iberia spokesman says: “We would never put at risk the lives of our passengers and crew, nor our reputation nor our air operators’ certificate.”
She points out that the size of Iberia’s maintenance operation has naturally declined as it has reduced the number of types in the fleet. “Obviously maintaining a 30 year-old Boeing 727 is much more costly than a brand new Airbus A320. It is obvious that this reduction is maintenance costs is not at all at the cost of safety.”
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
