Spanish unions have called for walkouts by airport staff that will impact seven further airlines this August, adding to strikes by Ryanair baggage handlers that could cause travel chaos at the height of summer.
Spanish trade unions have called for further industrial action by airport staff at seven major airlines, adding to potential travel disruption in Spain throughout August.
The UGT union has called a strike by ground staff employed by the Menzies group, which will affect all Spanish airports where the company provides ground services including Barcelona-El Prat, Alicante, Palma, Málaga and Tenerife South. The walkouts will be on the 16th, 17th, 23rd, 24th, 30th and 31st August.
This adds to scheduled August walkouts by staff at Azul Handling, Ryanair’s ground operations subsidiary in Spain, over worker sanctions and the abuse of overtime. Both strikes come at the height of the summer season.
READ ALSO: Ryanair baggage handler strike called at Spain’s main airports
The Ryanair/Azul stoppages have been called for August 15th, 16th and 17th. Friday August 15th is a public holiday in Spain, which will mean an increase in travel during an already very busy holiday period. The strikes are then scheduled to continue every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday until the end of the year, the union said in a statement.
READ ALSO: Ryanair claims strike in Spain will have no impact on flights
Action by Menzies group staff will add to travel unpredictability. Not only does the group cover major Spanish airports, providing essential ground services such as boarding, disembarking, baggage handling, and runway assistance, but it also provides services to key airlines operating in Spain such as Emirates, British Airways, American Airlines, EasyJet, Turkish Airlines, Norwegian and Wizz Air.
In Barcelona, around 400 of the group’s 1,500 workers will walk out, according to union sources speaking to news agency EFE.
The walkouts are a protest against “serious and repeated breaches of labour agreements and the conditions established by collective agreements,” union officials said in a statement.
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Among these violations, UGT cites “wage defaults, violation of subrogation rights, disorganisation of working days and schedules, constant errors in personnel management and payroll.”
They also claim that there is a lack of staff to cope with the workload, as well as “arbitrary imposition of holidays.”
Earlier this summer, ground staff for rival easyJet also went on a three-day strike in Spain, leading to more than 100 flight cancellations. They have also threatened further strike action this August unless salaries are increased.
READ MORE: Ryanair’s exit leaves two Spanish airports in the doldrums
