An indefinite walkout has been called in a bitter dispute at 12 airports on three days a week
Airports in Spain have been hit by ground staff strike action this week(Image: Getty)
An update has been given on ‘indefinite’ strikes at 12 Spanish airport as union officials said ‘thousands of suitcases’ have been left unloaded. An indefinite walkout by Groundforce saw more than 40 flights departing without loaded luggage, congestion in the baggage sorting areas, and suitcases potentially being sent through without the label-scanning processes in order to “speed things up” the CCOO union said.
Among the incidents that, according to the UGT union, are occurring at the airports are widespread delays averaging one hour per flight, flights left unattended and essential services “overwhelmed”, flight cancellations, thousands of suitcases left unloaded or delivered late, a build-up of aircraft on the apron, last-minute changes to airline procedures, operational overload and increased work-related stress, Canarian Weekly reported.
The UGT union reports that, following the first two days of the strike, “it is clear that the situation at Groundforce is serious both in operational terms and in terms of labour relations”, as the company is acting in a “disproportionate” manner and “crossing lines that will have to be examined through the established legal channels”.
The strike, which began last Monday, is scheduled for Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 12 Spanish airports – Barcelona, Madrid, Palma, Málaga, Alicante, Gran Canaria, Ibiza, Valencia, Lanzarote, Bilbao, Fuerteventura and Zaragoza – for an indefinite period and across three time slots: between 5–7am between 11am–5pm and 10pm to midnight.
Spanish airport operator Aena said in a notice on X: “Indefinite strike called by Groundforce staff, a company providing services to various airlines, starting on Monday March 30. Partial work stoppages have been called on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during three time slots: 5-7am, 11am-5pm, and 10pm-midnight.
“If you’re planning to fly, check to see if your airport is affected. Contact your airline to find out the status of your flight.”
The union criticises an ‘especially serious’ working environment, with sanctions described as ‘very serious’ being imposed on striking workers, complaints filed with the Labour Inspectorate regarding alleged impersonation during the strike, and the mobilisation of the Guardia Civil to contain the situation. UGT said this is an ‘epilogue of irresponsible management on the part of the company’, which ‘seems to care very little about its workers, its customers and the thousands of passengers affected’.
“The current situation reflects a total breakdown in labour relations and an unprecedented deterioration in the internal climate,’ the union highlights in a press release in which it also reiterates its willingness ‘to engage in genuine dialogue’. In light of this situation, UGT is seeking permission to organise rallies next week.
Meanwhile ground handling firm Menzies Aviation has called off planned strike action at several airports in the Canary Islands after reaching an agreement with the UGT union through mediation at with SIMA the Majorca Daily Bulletin reported.
However it added that negotiations over a temporary redundancy plan at Menzies in Gran Canaria remain unresolved. The deal follows weeks of tension across the aviation sector and includes commitments to improve both working and pay conditions for transferred staff, one of the main sources of the dispute.
The agreement allows planned walkouts all airports this week, where the company operates to be suspended, after Menzies accepted several of the union’s key demands. The site reported that UGT, the union organising the Spanish airport strikes for Groundforce ground staff alongside USO and CCOO, said the industrial action is causing a ‘chaos’, with delays of ‘over an hour, cancelled flights and thousands of abandoned suitcases’.
