Unions drop embargo lawsuits against Mexicana

Jared Laureles and Cesar Arellano

Newspaper La Jornada
Thursday, January 12, 2023, p. 13

The unions of Mexicana de Aviación went to the Federal Conciliation and Arbitration Board (JFCA) on Tuesday to notify that they withdraw the demands for seizure of the brand and real estate of the extinct airline so that the federal government acquires them for an amount of almost 817 million pesos.

When the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport, which is going to buy the brand, has the money, it will notify the Federal Board so that it makes effective the withdrawal of the embargoes and deposit the moneypointed to the day José Alonso Torres, press and publicity secretary of the Aviation Pilots Union Association of Mexico (ASPA).

He explained that, later, at negotiation tables with the Secretary of Labor, they are already very advancedit will be agreed with the unions what proportion corresponds to each one.

The unions, in turn, They will be responsible for distributing among their members the resources to formalize the purchase and sale of assets, added the leader.

Fausto Guerrero, leader of the Association of Retirees, Workers and Former Workers of Mexican Aviation (Ajteam), indicated that the resources arising from the sale of the brand, a training center and two buildings (in Guadalajara and Mexico City) they will give at most 10 percent of those who should have received to those who worked at the airline, which suspended operations 12 years ago.

Alonso Torres mentioned that the money will be distributed according to the salary and seniority of the workers. The calculation, he assured him, will be done transparently, supervised by the Executive Committee of ASPA and there will be an audit so that everything is perfectly clear.

The captain reported that representatives of ASPA, Ajteam, flight attendants and ground workers went to the JFCA to withdraw the seizure demands, in order to allow the sale of the goods.

Guerrero pointed out that the money obtained from the transaction is considered part of the liquidation of the former workers, around 8,500, and 650 retirees. The instruction of the federal government is that no one is excluded, whether they decided to sue in a class or individual way.he commented.

Both union leaders agreed that the operation is a bittersweet result, since workers have died over the 12 years without taking anything. In addition, the leader of Ajteam highlighted, the more time passes, the goods and the brand of the extinct airline, which carried out its last operation in August 2010, loses value.

He calculated that in 2015 it was valued at $135 million. Two years later it was almost half, 75 million, and five years later, 20.8 million dollars. This means that tomorrow will be worth absolutely nothing.