Pilotos Vueling

The big expansion project of Vueling in Italy has found an important trouble in their pilots. The airline has fired two SEPLA union officials and suspended without payment for two months another pilot, accusing them of leaking information that were supposed to keep confidencially to the rest of the airline pilots, and this has strained the rope between company and them.

The leaked documents were concerning a test model that the company sent to one of these delegates and was forwarded from the rest of the group. To demonstrate the leak and carry out the dismissal, the company opened the corporate mail of the union officials.

The problem comes in a scenario where the company has expectations of 20% growth this year and just at the beginning of the high season when its fleet of about 100 planes are called to do 700 flights daily. Much of these flights will be made from its new base in Italy, where the weakness of Alitalia and its last year purchase has led to tough competition between Ryanair and Vueling to gain market share, however the pilots’ union says that they haven´t had voice in this new conditions, as set out in the agreement, so this new episode drives the relationship between pilots and company to a breaking point.

The pilots’ union will to call a meeting to agree measures against dismissal, stating that “nothing is ruled out,” referring to the possibility of calling to strike.

Another option is slowing down the rithm of operations using timing and manuals procedures strictly, because they claim that the growth of the company is taking to limit the operational and they are not prepared to handle this kind of pressure.