Igor Vladimirovich Deldyuzhov

President
Office 509
Business Centre Aeroplaza
Ul- Aviatsionnaya vl.8
Sheremetevo -1
Moscow Region 141426
Russia
Email: shpls@mail.ru
mail@shpls.org

23 December 2013

GM/KU/va

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

As the International Transport Workers Unions (ITF) civil aviation section, we were appalled to hear of the
arrest of three leaders and activist of your union.

From the international press were aware that pilots and flight attendants on Aeroflot and their unions
were involved in a dispute with the national carrier over pay, night flights, harmful working conditions, and
a lack of qualified personnel. Staff and unions have also repeatedly said that the overall working conditions
at the airline were posing a threat to the flight safety.

We were also aware that citing the Labour Code, the unions were saying that Aeroflot owed its pilots and
flight attendants more than 1 billion rubbles (US$30 million) for flying at night and in harmful working
conditions.

After a series of court hearings and appeals, the Moscow City Court ruled in July that Aeroflot was obliged
to pay out the debt over a period of 17 months, from March 2011 to August 2012. However, workers have
yet to receive any payments.

It is also an established fact that number of passengers carried by Aeroflot, and airlines profits has been
increasing rapidly. Under such conditions underpaying flight personnel who contributed to these successful
results becomes even more outrageous.

While aviation companies in Russia have posted record profits, flight crews have been reduced and the
aviation infrastructure continues to decay. This is why the safety standards and infrastructure are still in a
very poor situation. No doubt, Russia deserves much better than that and as a country has all the resources
-including high quality well trained professionals- to improve the situation in a very short period of time.
Unfortunately, your warnings have fallen on deaf ears so far.

Even worse, we have been informed by your Confederation that recently leaders and activists of the
Sheremetevo Trade Union of Airline Pilots (ShPLS), Alexei Shliapnikov, Valery Pimoshenko, and Sergei
Knyshov were arrested by trumped up charges. This is a shocking attack on union and workers rights and it
is totally unacceptable.


For years, your union has been trying to engage with Aeroflot management for the right to sign a collective
bargaining agreement. However, Aeroflot management categorically refuses to participate in any official
negotiations with your union. This anti-union attitude violates the ILO conventions 87 and 98. The airline
must also immediately act in line with the court decision and pay all the unpaid wages to its workers.

We strongly denounce these anti-union practices, the Aeroflots refusal to bargain collectively, and above
all the arrest of the three union activists.

The ITF, which represents more than 620 thousand civil aviation workers, and 4.5 million transport workers
all around the world stands with you in this struggle.

Please, keep us posted about the developments.

In solidarity,

Gabriel Mocho Rodriguez
Civil Aviation Secretary