THE  Trade Union representing  Civil Aviation and Similar Industries workers  (Sielas), which represents the ground  staff of Copa Airlines delivered a  strike declaration to the Ministry of Labor, setting November 23 at 7:00 a.m. as the start time.

Sielas general secretary Cristóbal Souza, said that 35 points are still to be negotiated, mostly related to salary adjustments.

He said they are asking for an increase of 12% for all the airline’s ground workers. Both parties have reached agreements on 108 points for the new contract that will be valid for the next four years.

Souza said that negotiations with the company began on September 26 and until now they have not received any salary proposal. "Work has increased with the increase in aircraft, and the good performance of the company is not reflected in the pay of workers," he said.

On June 15, Copa reached an agreement with the Union of Commercial Pilots a few hours after the start of the strike called by the 1000 unionized pilots.

Copa spokesmen said that "as is characteristic of our company and as has always been our main interest, we will continue negotiating with Sielas, promoting respect and mutual appreciation, maintaining communication at all times.

"We have full confidence that with the goodwill of Copa and Sielas  we will reach a favorable agreement for both parties before the date of completion of the negotiations and, in turn, ensure the sustainability of the business, sources of employment and competitiveness of the company in the long term and allows us to continue working together as a single team."