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Royal Air Maroc (RAM) and its pilots resumed talks on Monday (August 24th) following a tense period that saw several strikes by pilots protesting what they called unfair working conditions.

Both parties hailed the positive atmosphere surrounding the dialogue, which was attended by the company's chief executive officer, Driss Benhima. In this round of negotiations, Benhima appeared to tone down the bitter criticism he had levelled at the pilots only a few days ago.

Following two days of discussions on Monday and Tuesday, the president of the Moroccan Airline Pilots Association (AMPL), Jalal Yaacoubi, called the spirit of the talks "constructive".

On this occasion "the pilots sensed willingness on the part of their managers to reach an agreement and find a lasting solution to the conflict, which has gone on for too long", said AMPL spokesperson Najib Ibrahimi.

He told Magharebia that the end of the crisis appears to be in sight, though in the run-up to the second round of talks, the pilots were not ruling out the possibility of going back on strike.

Ibrahimi told journalists that these first two days of talks were merely the "first stage", and that "other meetings have been scheduled over the next few days so that the details can be examined".

Benhima, who the pilots previously accused of making inflammatory comments, appeared to take a more conciliatory stance in this latest round of negotiations.

Earlier in the struggle, the CEO angered the pilots by claiming it would be easier to hire aircraft than to give in to the strikers' demands.

RAM's director of communications, Rajae Bensaoud, said that most of the pilots' grievances were discussed in the latest talks, including the demand to give the position of captain to Moroccan pilots.

"We're heading towards resolving the conflict in this industry by mutual agreement," she said.

In what appeared to be a conciliatory gesture, RAM executives allowed AMPL member Bouchra Bernoussi to return to work, after banning her from flying following statements she made to the press about the labour negotiations.

Representatives of RAM captains and pilots expressed delight with management's new attitude. The pilots' association confirmed its willingness to consider all proposals that are in line with commitments made to them by RAM management.

Khadija Zoumi, an Istiqlal party parliamentarian who sits in the Assembly of Councillors, said the pilots' strikes are justified since they are based on logical reasons. She questioned RAM management's stance, which industry analysts say has led to significant financial losses for the company.

Zoumi and four other members of parliament sent a letter to the prime minister in which they criticised the handling of the crisis. They appealed for an end to the deadlock, which they said had cost RAM a huge amount of money despite what they called the simplicity and lack of financial commitment involved in the pilots' requests.


^{_{Article written by Sarah Touahri , was first published at maghrebia.com
2009-08-26}}

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