We pilots lived through a complex 2020. A year that has developed at the antipodes of our expectations. At a time when the sector was on a growth trend, the expansion of Covid-19 left the planes on the ground and us in an ERTE. Since March, we at Sepla have been working harder than ever to help our colleagues cope as well as possible with an unprecedented crisis, which has already has marked a before and after for aviation..
Now, we pilots know that we have to contribute to the survival of our airlines, because without them there is no future for us either.
Our first task as a union has been to carry out initiatives that help our colleagues to alleviate the consequences of the crisis. Firstly, we opted for a dues rebate for our members, and secondly, we have opted for something fundamental at this time, the emotional health of pilots, for which we have developed the PAPI programme. We have also created a programme for expatriates, which advises all pilots returning to our country after years away, or those who want to leave Spain to look for another country to fly in. In addition, we have negotiated special agreements with banks, insurance companies and even pilot schools, to maintain pilot certificates for all pilots in Spain.
Despite the difficulty in collecting these payments and the considerable loss of income that this pandemic has caused, the ERTEs have been a lifeline for the airlines, whose activity was reduced in the first few months to repatriation flights and the transport of medical equipment. In this respect, the union has also stood up for its members, handling their procedures with the SEPE.
The most optimistic forecasts do not predict a return to pre-crisis levels of demand until around 2024. It will be a slow recovery, but support for aviation is needed in these difficult times to consolidate a strong sector.
We are going through a key moment for our future. With the certainty that this will be a long one, it is time for the work of the trade union sections, as they have done since March in helping to maintain employment. Short-term thinking is of no use now.The fight for survival must be fought. We must work, together with our airlines, to maintain the jobs of all pilots.
In Sepla, union sections such as those at Ryanair and Vueling have already reached agreements with their respective managements with the aim of reducing costs and avoiding redundancies. Now, pilots know that we have to contribute to the survival of our airlines, Because without them there is no future for us either. Only by joining forces can we emerge from this unprecedented crisis. And there is only one way: TOGETHER.
