The continuation of Luís Rodrigues at the helm of TAP has not been confirmed by either the executive or the Government, which prefers to leave the decision to the next legislative term.
At the end of last year, with his term nearing its conclusion and when questioned about his future at the airline, Rodrigues stated that the relationship between the current administration and the political authority, the Ministry of Infrastructure, “will always be excellent” and downplayed the importance of an immediate decision on the matter.
“We are calmly doing our job and believe this issue will be resolved when the shareholder also sees fit,” Rodrigues mentioned during a press meeting.
Responding to inquiries, the office of Minister Miguel Pinto Luz clarified that, given the current context, the government branch of Infrastructure and Housing does not intend to appoint public managers until the end of this government’s term.
Since assuming leadership of TAP on April 14, 2023, Luís Rodrigues’ tenure has been marked by a record profit of 177.3 million euros achieved at the end of that year and the mission to keep the airline out of negative headlines amidst an inquiry commission concerning the controversial compensation that led to the resignation of former CEO Christine Ourmières-Widener.
In addition to these accomplishments, Rodrigues managed to establish consensus among the 13 unions representing the company’s workers, achieving much-desired industrial peace.
Transitioning from the Azorean airline SATA, which also received state aid and underwent restructuring, Rodrigues inherited a challenging labor dossier when he took leadership amidst significant social instability following months of stalemate between unions and previous management.
On his return to TAP, where he had served as executive director from 2009 to 2014, Rodrigues announced his priority was to meet with union representatives and address the salary cut issues implemented during the restructuring, which involved cuts of 20% for wages above 1,520 euros.
“I am not a football player nor a movie star. I am a guy here working and needing to solve problems for the passengers and the workers,” Rodrigues told journalists waiting outside the company on his first day as president.
Rodrigues’ approach, lauded by nearly all unions, led to the approval of new corporate agreements, effectively ending the salary cuts imposed under the restructuring plan. However, his second year in office witnessed certain changes.
The executive succeeded in keeping TAP on a profitable path, achieving 53.7 million euros, but encountered threats to both industrial peace and profit margins due to potential compensations that might need to be paid to some flight crew members.
In February, the union representing TAP flight attendants (Sindicato Nacional do Pessoal de Voo da Aviação Civil – SNPVAC) expressed surprise at the introduction of a new allowances table which outlined cuts for various destinations, hinting at possible unrest.
Additionally, this year saw a strike by the Portuguese airline’s pilots’ union (SIPLA), coinciding with Portugália’s transition from TAP SGPS to TAP SA amid the airline’s reprivatization. This process was further delayed with the downfall of the Government led by Luís Montenegro.
These developments followed the transfer of the human resources portfolio, initially assumed by Rodrigues, to the financial administrator, Gonçalo Pires, at the start of this year. These changes have sparked criticism from some union entities.
