All the positive soundbites on TAP earlier this week were very possibly focused on changing the minds of disgruntled staff which last night voted nonetheless for strike action in December. Unless negotiations can turn the tide, the days December 8-9 will cabin crew ‘downing tools’ – even though CEO Christine Ourmières-Widener has said such action would spell “disaster” for the airline which, she believes, is showing signs of recovery. Minister for Infrastructures and Housing, Pedro Nuno Santos, has also stressed a strike “is the worst thing that can happen”. The government is intent on selling TAP, and has been buoyed by ‘new interest’ shown by the IAG group which owns British Airways.
