The walkout by 3,000 Azul Handling baggage handlers will begin on August 15, 16, and 17, and then every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday until the end of the year
Spain. Valencia, Alicante, Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Malaga, Ibiza, Palma, Girona, Tenerife South, Lanzarote and Santiago airports are set to be affected by the industrial action over the coming weeks(Image: Daily Mirror/Ian Vogler)
Brits planning a Spanish getaway are bracing for more travel turmoil as 3,000 striking workers target 12 airports.
Valencia, Alicante, Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Malaga, Ibiza, Palma, Girona, Tenerife South, Lanzarote and Santiago airports are set to be affected by the industrial action over the coming weeks, which coincide with some of the busiest travel periods of the year.
The strikes involve over 3,000 Azul Handling baggage handlers and are scheduled to commence on August 15, 16, and 17, and then every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday until the end of the year. Although the law requires the workers to provide a “minimum service”, the extent of which is yet to be determined, the strike could still cause significant disruption for travellers.
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Azul Handling, which provides baggage handling services to Ryanair at its Spanish bases, announced the strikes following the revelation of walk-out plans by hospitality workers on 12 Spanish islands.
This industrial action coincides with the long bank holiday weekend at the end of August and the days leading up to the start of the school term, potentially causing major headaches for UK holidaymakers. Approximately 18 million Brits visit Spain each year, with the majority of these trips taking place during the school holidays, reports the Mirror.
The strike is set to impact all bases and work centres in Spain, taking place between 5am and 9am, noon and 3pm, and 9pm to 11.59pm. The union’s decision to strike stems from what it perceives as a lack of stable job creation and consolidation of working hours for permanent part-time staff, along with disagreements over bonuses.
Additionally, the union has raised concerns about how workers are penalised and what it views as an “abuse of overtime”. The strike is driven by sanctions imposed on workers who refuse to work non-mandatory hours, with penalties of up to 36 days without employment or pay.
“UGT regrets having to go to these extremes and all the damages that may occur, for which the direct responsibility will be solely and exclusively the company and its reckless action with the workforce,” the unions stated.
Jose Manuel Perez Grande, federal secretary of the FeSMC-UGT Air Union, accused Azul Handling of maintaining “a strategy of precariousness and pressure on the workforce that violates basic labour rights and systematically ignores union demands.”
The FeSMC-UGT Air Sector is demanding that the company withdraw the sanctions, comply with the opinions of the Joint Commission and immediately initiate a genuine negotiation process, which will improve the working conditions of the more than 3,000 workers affected across the country.
A spokesperson for Ryanair stated: “Ryanair does not expect any disruption to our operation as a result of these third-party handling strikes in Spain.”