“The concern among workers has been escalating over the months and is set to increase further. This concentration is a way to express our dissatisfaction with how management and successive boards have been handling the company in an extremely damaging manner,” stated Dário Ponte, coordinator of the Workers’ Commission of SATA Air Açores, in a statement.
The demonstration will take place between 12:00 local time (13:00 in Lisbon) and 14:00 local time in front of the company’s headquarters in Ponta Delgada, São Miguel, organized by the Aviation and Airports Workers’ Union (SITAVA), according to Dário Ponte.
“We are experiencing enormous uncertainty in the company,” warned the coordinator, referring to the ongoing negotiations for the privatization of Azores Airlines, part of the SATA group, and the separation of SATA’s ground handling operations.
The coordinator emphasized that in the current situation, “everyone is in solidarity with all the group’s workers.”
“First, the sale of Azores Airlines, which has been a disaster, and now they want to separate the handling services, which will be another huge mistake for the company. On top of that, there are the various loans being taken out to manage cash flow. We are in this deadlock. Then, news emerges that the SATA group is in poor shape because workers earn too much,” pointed out Dário Ponte.
Ongoing negotiations are taking place between the Regional Government and the Newtou/MS Aviation consortium for the privatization of Azores Airlines, part of the SATA Group, a process the regional government aims to finalize by September.
In June 2022, the European Commission approved Portuguese state aid for the airline’s restructuring, amounting to 453.25 million euros in loans and state guarantees, with measures including structural reorganization and divestment of a controlling stake (51%).
