LATAM Airlines to fire 'at least' 2,700 workers in Brazil

Reuters

Published Aug 01, 2020 10:46

Updated Aug 01, 2020 18:30

By Marcelo Rochabrun

BRASILIA (Reuters) - LATAM Airlines (SN:LTM) will fire "at least" 2,700 workers in Brazil, including pilots, its Brazilian arm said on Saturday, as the bankrupt carrier struggles to cut costs and cope with an industry collapse due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a statement, LATAM Brasil said it opened a voluntary redundancy process on Friday which will run through Aug. 4, after which a further minimum 2,700 jobs will be cut.

The announcement followed the breakdown in talks with the SNA union over workers' pay, the statement said. O Globo and O Estado de S. Paulo newspapers had reported the redundancies earlier on Saturday. LATAM said it pays its pilots and crew more than its rivals in Brazil, and the pandemic has forced it to "match industry practices."