Airport Industrial Action

At Malaga airport, staff employed by the company which provides security services, have been on strike since the start of the summer and, with no resolution in sight, there are still long, long queues, especially at peak times as a Facebook post showed this morning.

In addition, handling workers rallied on October 23 at several airports including Malaga to protest against theresult of the tender carried out by Aena for the provision of ground handling services.

Iberia workers in Malaga have mobilised to maintain their working conditions and the union has proposed a strike if their demands are not met. Airport handling services cover all the operations carried out on the ground including baggage handlers and check-in staff.

The CCOO union has announced that these demonstrations will not be limited to an isolated event, but will be extended over the next few days. This situation affects a total of 43 airports throughout Spain. Travellers should be prepared for possible delays and cancellations and are advised to be aware of flight updates and to arrive at the airport well in advance.

Malaga is, “one of the main airports where Iberia will stop providing ground services to third parties. The result of Aena’s tender leaves the job stability of workers in the province in the hands of several companies, most of them controlled by foreign capital. We will not lose our jobs and we are concerned that our social and wage conditions, achieved after the negotiation of some 20 collective agreements, will not be respected”, explained Fernando Gordillo, head of CCOO, during the first of the rallies organised jointly with the UGT union.

The result of the tender has led Iberia to challenge it and ask for a review, while Aena insisted that the companies that have won the licences are obliged to respect the agreements and the working conditions of the employees.