Workers for one of the two ground handling companies planning strikes over the busy Easter period in Spain have cancelled their stoppages, but other ground staff will continue with their walkouts.
Spanish trade union UGT union has called off the planned strike from Thursday April 2nd to Monday April 6th affecting ground handling services provided by Menzies at seven Spanish airports.
On Tuesday evening, the union reached an agreement with the company regarding financial guarantees for employees, as well as addressing complaints pertaining to overtime and shift scheduling.
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The company has also committed to starting negotiations on employment in April, “given the precarious situation of the staff at the different airports, where part-time contracts prevail over a real need for full-time hiring.”
Despite the deal reached with Menzies, partial strikes are still in place for workers at Groundforce, the other company staging huelgas (strikes in Spanish).
The first day of Groundforce’s staff strikes at 12 Spanish airports was on Monday March 30th.
It caused “mountains of luggage” on the tarmac, huge queues and flight delays. Six planes took off without luggage in Madrid. However, some airports were more disproportionately affected than others.
READ ALSO: Ground staff begin Easter strike at 12 airports in Spain
Groundforce’s walkouts, which are also due to salary disagreements, will continue indefinitely on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays until a deal is reached.
During these strike days, Groundforce staff will stop working from 05:00 to 07:00, from 11:00 to 17:00, and from 22:00 to 00:00).
Groundforce employees work at airports in Madrid, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Alicante, Málaga, Gran Canaria, Valencia, Ibiza, Bilbao, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and air cargo in Zaragoza.
Menzies staff also work in Alicante, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Málaga, Gran Canaria, Tenerife South and Tenerife North airports.
Therefore, Menzies’ strike cancellation will result in some airports avoiding the Easter strikes completely, whereas other key airports can expect potential problems and delays due to the Groundforce strike, but at least less so than previously feared.
