Travel chaos during Easter days due to Spain strike

Travelling during holiday season if bad enough, but it seems that Spain has an even greater problem than the usual busy air traffic. Strikes are being announced, and talks are still in their early stages.

About 60.000 ground handling airport staff in Spain are considering an “indefinite strike” starting the Saturday of Easter weekend. If the strike is going to take place just as it’s being planned, tourists shouldn’t be surprised to be meat with flight cancellations or delays and long queue lines at several airports across Spain. An estimated 5 million passengers are expected to be traveling during the peak Easter week.

Who is striking on the airports in Spain and when?

The pilots union Sepla is supporting industrial action by pilots with the Valencia based airline Air Nostrum. They have proposed a series of six 24-hour strikes to take place during Semana Santa and the days following. Proposed dates are April 15, 16, 17, 22, 23 and 24.

It's a long-running complaint over working conditions tied in with outsourcing services.

Two of Spain’s largest unions, the General Union of Workers (UGT) and Workers’ Trade Union (USO) have called for a strike of ground staff at AENA airports on April 21 and 24 in an ongoing dispute over pay and conditions outlines in new contracts for handlers.

The call for strikes, which [includes] some 60,000 handling workers, are called at all Spanish airports, will begin on April 20."

This conflict affects the staff that provide services in companies in the sector, including ground handling services, aircraft and passengers, merchandise and mail, as well as the service of placing and removing gangways, which connect the aircraft with the port terminal.

Airport strike status in Spain

As mentioned, two trade unions (UGT and USO) have called Spain-wide strikes for airport baggage handlers over work contracts during the busy Easter period. The Workers’ Trade Union (USO) and the General Union of Workers (UGT) said they were willing to negotiate with the Aena airport operator over pay and conditions. They are taking action over contract clauses covering moves for workers between different companies.

The unions involved, say there are clauses in their collective agreement with the employer Aseata, that affect workers who transfer from one company to another. The unions say they’re still open to pay and conditions negotiations, but if they can’t reach any satisfying agreement, then the strike that affects all of Spain will start on Easter Saturday for an indefinite period.

The Sun reported that a statement from the USO air sector said, "For the USO and UGT, it is fundamental that the reallocated workers can maintain and, where appropriate, claim their rights. The purpose of this convention is to prevent companies from carrying out malicious interpretations that undermine the rights of workers.”

In July 2018, another threatened strike was called off pending negotiations.