The first day of strike by the workers of Groundforce, Air Europa's ground handling services company, has caused this Monday delays of up to 50 minutes at several Spanish airports, according to the UGT union.
The strikes, called indefinitely by UGT, CC OO, and USO, have affected twelve airports, including Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Valencia, or Malaga, with a particularly notable impact at the Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport and in Bilbao.
This indefinite strike at Groundforce, Air Europa's ground handling services company, affects more than 3,000 workers spread across a dozen Spanish airports. The protest, motivated by salary discrepancies, is taking place through daily partial strikes in the middle of Holy Week, one of the periods of greatest air activity of the year.
Collapses on the baggage belts in Madrid and Barcelona
According to the unions, delays have been between 40 and 70 minutes in some cases, while collapses in the baggage belts have been registered, especially in Madrid and Barcelona. In addition, several flights have arrived at their destination without suitcases, generating chain incidents for passengers with connections.
The strike is developing in three time bands —at early morning, midday, and night— and affects key services such as the loading and unloading of luggage, assistance on the runway, or the management of goods.
UGT celebrates the day as "a success"
UGT has described the day as "a success" and has attributed the call to the non-compliance with salary commitments by the company included in the collective agreement.
The impact, however, has been uneven, since Groundforce does not operate all flights. The company provides service to airlines such as Air France, KLM or Lufthansa, while others such as Iberia or Vueling remain outside the conflict.
The union has also criticized the minimum services set by the Ministry of Transport, which range between 27% and 80% depending on the type of route, and which they consider "abusive", by limiting the scope of the protest.
"Bags are not guaranteed to arrive"
One of the main problems detected has been baggage management. "It is not guaranteed that the suitcases will arrive," UGT has warned, pointing out that this situation is especially affecting transit passengers, who lose connections by not having their baggage.
The strike, which will continue in the coming days, opens a new front in the Spanish airport sector on the eve of periods of high mobility, with the risk that incidents will be prolonged if there is no agreement between company and workers.