Talks to end Avianca pilot strike in Colombia collapse

Talks to end a strike by the largest pilots’ union at Colombia’s flagship airline Avianca were suspended after failure to reach agreement on wages and benefits, the two sides said Wednesday, extending an indefinite walkout that has left travellers grounded. The Colombian Association of Civil Aviators (ACDAC), which represents more than 700 of the 1,300 Avianca pilots working in the country, began the strike on Sept. 20 when talks mediated by the Labor Ministry ended without a deal. Avianca said the ACDAC did not accept the company’s proposal, which included a wage increase of 12.75%, and the union said the airline then withdrew the offer without allowing it to consult with affiliates. “Widespread demands, including a 60% increase in wages and a number of benefits that exceed the limits of the company, would cost more than $274m annually, are inadmissible and puts at high risk the (company‘s) sustainability and competitiveness,” Avianca president Hernan Rincon said. A statement from the ACDAC said several of the agreements reached during mediation with the Labor Ministry were changed and that Avianca “in an attitude of pride decided to leave the table and withdraw the proposal.”<br/>