The Airbus Spain workforce will initiate an indefinite strike starting this Tuesday, after the workers' assemblies held this Monday overwhelmingly ratified the continuation of the strike, despite the management's attempt to halt the mobilizations in the last mediation before the SIMA on August 21.
The votes organized by the calling unions, CGT, UGT, and ÚTIL, in the centers of Getafe (Madrid), San Pablo and Tablada (Sevilla), Illescas (Toledo), and Albacete, resulted in a clear rejection of the company's proposal. In Cádiz, the assembly was postponed to September 1, with the intention of aligning with the majority decision of the other plants.
Airbus has expressed its displeasure at the continuation of the indefinite strikes and is already analyzing the impact that the strike may have on production, the commitments made to its clients, and the public image of the group. The company maintains that its latest proposals already incorporate the essential requests of the workforce and considers it "critical" to reach an agreement in the short term to protect the industrial project in Spain, which is why it insists on continuing negotiations.
In the last mediation session at the SIMA, held on Friday, management presented a "Dialogue and Social Peace Approach" that included a salary increase linked to the CPI and an additional percentage aimed at recovering purchasing power. Additionally, it offered to restore the previous teleworking conditions and withdraw the appeal filed before the Supreme Court regarding the supplements for medical leave (IT), with the commitment to return the applied discounts.
However, the lack of precision in the deadlines and in the specific amounts of the salary improvement, as well as the postponement of issues that workers consider essential, such as the vacation regime, flexible hours, the cafeteria service, or collective transportation, have led the workforce to opt for the indefinite strike.
After the results of the assemblies were known, the company once again lamented the decision of the Strike Committee to continue with the mobilizations and stated that it is already evaluating the "additional impact" of this conflict on its production obligations, agreements with clients, its institutional commitments, and corporate reputation.
Airbus insists that the agreement is "critical"
From the top of the aerospace manufacturer, it is emphasized that reaching an understanding in the coming days is "critical" for the future of the joint project in Spain. The company defends that the offers presented respond to the claims of the staff and assures that it maintains a firm commitment to a relationship framework that is "solid, balanced, and responsible".
In this context, Airbus reiterates its willingness to resume conversations starting this Tuesday, following the schedule of daily meetings set after the mediation of SIMA.
Origin and escalation of the labor conflict
The confirmation of the indefinite strike comes after a particularly tense day, which began this Monday with three-hour stoppages before the key assemblies. The objective of those votes was to decide whether to suspend the strike to continue at the dialogue table, as suggested by the mediators of SIMA in order to preserve "social peace" and after agreeing on a schedule of daily meetings.
The climate of conflict in the Spanish plants of Airbus had been intensifying since July, when a previous strike was called off after the staff rejected the pre-agreement reached by management with the non-calling unions (CCOO, SIPA, and ATP). To try to unblock the negotiation, the manufacturer resorted to the mediation of SIMA, hired the firm Baker McKenzie, and made changes in the top management of Human Resources, appointing Soledad Muñoz in place of Antonio Lasada.
Despite these movements and the opening of discussions on issues such as the labor agreements in Cádiz or the Bromo project, the workers have supported the position of the union sections that, in the words of UGT, considered that the business proposal "was far from what should be a framework endorsed by the staff". With this support, the indefinite strike starts immediately from today.