Quote: ‘Industrial action every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, until April 13 as 8-year dispute continues’
Brits heading to Spain during March and Easter have been warned of strikes at some of the country’s busiest airports – including Alicante-Elche and Corvera, Murcia, airports.
Workers with Swissport have called a series of 24-hour walkouts after negotiations – taking place since March 2022 failed.
Industrial action will occur every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, that began on February 27, and continues until April 13.
Unions have been engaged in an eight-year dispute with Swissport over working conditions.
“This is the reality faced by the workers of Swissport Handling and for which it has been decided to say enough is enough.
“We will not allow workers to have to give up the improvements they have been waiting for for years,” said a spokesperson.
Swissport Handling provides services at Spanish airports of Madrid-Barajas, Barcelona-El Prat, Reus, Alicante, Valencia, Murcia, Málaga, Almería, Salamanca, Valladolid, Burgos, Logroño, Zaragoza, Huesca, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Tenerife Sur.
It provides services to passengers and ramp assistance, except at Gran Canaria and Tenerife Sur, where it assists executive aviation companies.
In Madrid and Malaga, Swissport operates air cargo handling services.
Its clients include airlines Aegean Airlines, Aer Lingus, Air France, Brussels Airlines, Czech Airlines, Emirates, Finnair, Iberia Express, Icelandair, Iran Air, KLM, Lufthansa, Swiss, Turkish Airlines and Vueling.
Unions must provide a minimum service under Spanish law.
It comes amid a wave of strikes across the whole of Europe. In France, unions and the Government are in dispute over pensions, with industrial action planned for March.
The country’s transport network will be targeted by eight unions, according to French newspaper Le Monde. Workers are planning a “black day” on March 7 which will “bring France to a standstill”.
Striking workers are opposing a planned lifting of the state pension age from 62 to 64. Polling suggests around 70 percent of the population opposes President Macron’s pension reform plans with a petition against the proposals having gained more than a million signatures.
A spokesperson for Swissport said: “We regret to confirm that the industrial action scheduled at airports across Spain. A comprehensive contingency plan is in place to limit disruptions to our airline customers and passengers travelling via Spanish airports.
“At Swissport, we are convinced that agreements must be found at the negotiating table.
“We remain fully committed to reaching an agreement with union representatives and our staff, that will be acceptable to our colleagues while also preserving the stability and health of the company and offering attractive jobs in the Spanish aviation sector.”
