Union for LATAM subsidiary to strike as early as April 3

[March 30, 2018]  By Antonio De la Jara

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - A union of cabin workers for LAN Express, a subsidiary of LATAM Airlines <LTM.SN>, said it had failed to reach agreement on a labor contract and had voted to strike as early as Tuesday.

The union, which includes nearly 1,000 of the airline´s crew workers, said in a statement late on Thursday that a strike would "paralyze" local and regional flights throughout LATAM´s service region.

The walk-off could be delayed until April 9, the union said, should either side request a five-day period of government-facilitated mediation.

The vote follows several months of negotiations and was approved by 95 percent of the union´s workers, the statement said.

LATAM Airlines was not immediately available for comment.

The union said it had failed to reach agreement with management on key issues that include rotation lengths and salaries for newly hired workers.

LATAM was founded in 2012 through a tie-up between Chile's LAN and Brazil's TAM. In December, Qatar Airways completed an acquisition of 10 percent of the company in a transaction worth $608 million.

LATAM operates in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru.

(Reporting by Antonio De la Jara; Writing by Dave Sherwood; Editing by Bill Trott)

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