Pilots pitch salary cuts amid Royal Air Maroc job cuts

Morocco’s pilots have voted to strike to protest the recent layoffs of 65 pilots at Royal Air Maroc (AT, Casablanca Int’l) and proposed their own solution, to reduce their wages collectively by MAD400 million dirhams (USD43.5 million) spread over three years. As previously reported, the cash-strapped flag carrier began to move ahead with plans to lay off staff towards the end of August, sending dismissal letters to 140 employees among its total workforce of 2,300, consisting of 65 pilots, 59 cabin crew, and 16 ground personnel. The Moroccan Association of Airline Pilots (L’Association marocaine des pilotes de lignes – AMPL) revealed in a statement on September 2 that 308 of its 469 members voted to go on strike to protest the sackings, with 76 against, seven abstentions, and 78 not voting. The majority of pilots believe that the layoffs were unjustified and a reduction in salaries would have been enough, the statement said. However, according to the AMPL, the airline has so far refused to agree to a dialogue with its employees. In addition to salary cuts, the pilots offered to relinquish their wage bonuses. According to the airline’s most recent financial report, for 2018, suspending bonuses for flight crews would save the company MAD154 million (USD16.7 million) and MAD67 million (USD7.3 million) for ground staff, local media reported. The AMPL reiterated its demand for a “responsible and peaceful dialogue with a view to cancelling the redundancies and reinstating the dismissed pilots.” If the airline refuses, the association will send a strike notice. In parallel with the vote, some of the laid-off pilots shared their experiences in a video sent to media outlets and posted on social media. They had worked for between 10 and 33 years and had between 3,000 and 18,000 flight hours. They expressed their surprise on receiving their redundancy letters, especially those who had spent several decades working at Royal Air Maroc.