Avianca strike lifted, but bitter labour dispute in hands of Colombia’s Supreme Court

After a 51-day strike by 730 Avianca pilots, the airline announced that it will resume normal operations as of Monday. The strike by the Colombian Association of Civil Aviators (ACDAC) union was lifted Friday, even though a final verdict on the legality of the action has yet to be handed-down by a judge of the Supreme Court. Avianca claimed the strike was illegal when more than half its pilots walked-off the job Sept 20. Despite the ACDAC’s demands for increased salaries and benefits packages that would put them on par with pilots flying with airlines in other countries, the union voted to lift the strike after Carlos Alfonso Negret, the country’s ombudsman, broke the 7-week stalemate between the senior management of Avianca Holdings and striking pilots. <br/>