The UGT, the Spanish airport union for Groundforce ground workers together with the USO and the CCOO, highlighted today, Wednesday, that the industrial action is causing ‘unrest’, delay of ‘more than an hour, canceled flights and thousands of abandoned suitcases’.
A strike, that is it started last mondayscheduled for Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 12 airports in Spain – Barcelona, Madrid, Palma, Málaga, Alicante, Gran Canaria, Ibiza, Valencia, Lanzarote, Bilbao, Fuerteventura and Zaragoza – indefinitely and across three periods: between 05.000-00 11.07. 22.00–00.00.
Among the incidents that, according to the UGT, are happening at the airport are widespread delays of one hour in flight, planes left unattended and essential services. “to be amazed”flight cancellations, thousands of suitcases left unchecked or sent behind, aircraft piling up on the apron, last-minute changes in flight schedules, overwork and increased workload.
The CCOO explained that the first day of the strike ended with more than 40 flights leaving without baggage, congestion at baggage handling areas, and suitcases that may have been sent without label checks in order to “speed things up”.
The UGT Association reports that, after the first two days of the strike, “it is clear that the Groundforce’s situation is serious in terms of operational and compliance labor relations”, since the company is acting in an “inadequate” and “crossing the lines that will have to be investigated through established legal channels”.
The association criticizes the ‘particularly serious’ workplace, where the described as ‘very serious’ penalties are imposed on striking workers, the complaints lodged with the Labor Inspectorate about the alleged hypocrisy during the strike, and the mobilization of the Guardia Civil to prevent this situation. UGT considers this to be the ‘epilogue of irresponsible management on the part of the company’, which ‘appears to have no regard for its employees, its customers and the thousands of affected passengers’.
The current situation shows a complete separation in labor relations and the unusual deterioration of the internal climate,’ the union highlights in a press release where it also reiterates its determination to ‘participate in ‘real discussions’. Due to this situation, UGT is seeking permission to organize meetings next week.
The CCOO and UGT have marked the minimum service set by the Ministry of Transport as ‘thlabi’, which is set at 100% for emergency services or transfers for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, while it is between 60% and 80% for domestic flights to non-national areas or under public service obligations, depending on the airport and dates.
For services connecting cities in Spain where other means of transport involve a journey of five hours or more, minimum services from 49% to 60%, while where the distance is less than five hours, limited services range from 27% to 36%, depending on the airport and the day.
However, according to the CCOO, the majority of workers who do not demand minimum wage have exercised their right to strike. CCOO, one of the unions that called the strike, points out that the protest is a response to the violation of the collective agreement and the loss of purchasing power reported by the workers. The Aviation and Tourism Services Department of the FSC-CCOO warns that the industrial action will continue until “a collective bargaining agreement and decent working conditions for all workers are guaranteed”.
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