Pilot Union Leader Ousted From Aerolineas Argentinas’ Board

Pablo Biró’s expulsion occurred during a recent shareholders meeting of the state-owned airline after it was concluded he acted in “a disloyal manner and against the interests of the company he represents,” the airline said in a translated press release.

Aerolineas Argentinas said Biró, who heads the Association of Airline Pilots (APLA) pilots union, participated in and promoted 13 forceful measures against the airline over the course of this year, “many of them shielded by supposed ‘informative assemblies’ that in reality were covert strikes.”

The carrier said those actions were timed to affect the greatest numbers of flights possible, noting more than 100,000 passengers were affected.

Biró’s removal from the board occurred after the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) in a Sept. 20 statement condemned Argentina’s government for filing extortion charges against the union leader. “This blatant act of intimidation represents yet another provocative step in the [President Javier] Milei Government’s systematic attack on trade unions.” ITF is a federation with affiliates worldwide that connects more than 700 trade unions from 150 countries to secure equality and justice for workers.

ITF added that the criminal complaint was filed by Argentina’s Minister of Security Patricia Bullrich, and noted the government’s hostility towards unions has intensified, “particularly since its intentions to privatize Aerolineas Argentinas were blocked by Congress.”

Milei haș been working to privatize many state-owned entities, including Argentina’s national airline, since taking office in December 2023. Although previous efforts to relinquish ownership of the airline have been blocked by Argentina’s legislators, Milei earlier in October issued a decree that officially declared the carrier as an organization subject to privatization.

Reuters recently noted Argentina’s Congress could override the decree as has happened several times before, explaining the President’s libertarian party only had a small number of seats in the legislature, but said Milei had won over some allies from the main conservative bloc.

ITF, meanwhile, has stated the government is making a concerted effort to “break the unions that represent aviation workers in Argentina,” noting the “attacks began as soon as Milei came to power,” initially by denying workers at the nation’s flag carrier a salary increase— “a pay rise that would come close to compensating for the extraordinary 120% rise in inflation in the country.”

In addition to working throughout most of his term to privatize Aerolineas Argentinas, Miliei has also pushed through changes to liberalize the country’s aviation sector. Earlier this year, a separate decree was issued that includes, among other items, free access to the market for new operators, and authorizing foreign companies to provide internal or international air transportation.

Argentina has also forged several memorandum of understanding agreements with other countries to liberalize air service, including Brazil, Canada, Chile, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay.