BREAKING Tarom pilots end strike, flights resume after pay raise agreement

The undeclared strike by Tarom pilots ended on Tuesday after a set of salary increases was agreed upon with the company’s management, according to union leader Narcis Pasca, speaking to G4Media. The company also announced the resumption of flights in a statement.

What did the pilots gain after Monday’s strike, which halted several flights?

Following negotiations, an agreement was reached to provide a phased salary increase of 1,500 euros for pilots, with the first installment promised this year. Additionally, the company will immediately raise the external per diem to 240 euros for the captain and 200 euros for the co-pilot.

The full statement from Tarom:

„Tarom continued its dialogue with representatives of the flight personnel following the situation on Monday, July 8, during which numerous flights were canceled due to individual declarations of unfitness to fly by the flight personnel. The company announces the conclusion of an agreement for normality and the resumption of flight operations on a normal schedule. On the morning of July 9, all regular flights, both domestic and international, are operating according to the flight schedules,” the company’s statement read.

In the ongoing dialogue between the company’s Board of Directors and representatives of the flight personnel, a common working meeting resulted in an agreement on the salary issues raised by the flight personnel. The agreed measures will be negotiated within the framework of the Individual Labor Contract with the team members.

„Following the situation encountered on Monday, July 8, where numerous flights were canceled due to individual declarations of unfitness to fly by the flight personnel, Tarom apologizes to its passengers for all the discomfort caused and is making every effort to reduce the impact this situation has on their travel plans. The company has provided alternatives for passengers affected by these cancellations, and the support team is in direct contact with passengers to provide detailed information on flight rescheduling, refunds, or other available options,” the source emphasized.

The national airline operator canceled dozens of domestic and international flights on Monday due to the temporary unavailability of flight crew members.

According to a statement from the Romanian Line Pilots Union (Sindicatul Piloţilor de Linie din România, SPLR), the company incurred losses of approximately 2.5 million euros during Monday’s pilots’ protest, which served as a warning against the current working conditions and poor management within the company.

In this context, the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Sorin Grindeanu, stated that Tarom will have to compensate passengers whose flights were canceled on Monday.

According to the minister, up to 30 out of nearly 150 of the company’s pilots declared themselves „unfit to fly” on Monday, roughly 20%, and he learned about this situation during the night from Sunday to Monday.