The unions CGT, UGT, and ÚTIL, promoters of the strike at Airbus Spain called for starting on August 24, have once again opted not to attend the meeting scheduled with the company at the Interconfederal Mediation and Arbitration Service (SIMA) this Thursday, August 20, thus repeating the no-show they already staged at the meeting on August 11.
The union decision is based on the absence of a renewed proposal from the European aircraft manufacturer that represents a real improvement over the previous offer and more broadly integrates the demands raised by the workforce.
"They have an appointment at the SIMA that is valid, but for us, after nine months of negotiation, we see it as an act of bad faith, wanting to blur the strike committee," assured the spokesperson for CGT at Airbus, Gustavo Retamosa, in statements to "Cadena Ser."
Despite the tension, the general secretary of UGT Airbus at the state level, Edmundo Otero, has urged the company to step forward and send a new offer to the representatives of the workers before the 24th, according to "Industry Talks."
The plan of the unions involves carrying out a three-hour stoppage at the Spanish plants next Monday and holding assemblies in which a vote will be taken to transform that protest into an indefinite strike and full-time from August 25.
In parallel, Airbus has turned to the law firm Baker McKenzie with the aim of redirecting the dialogue with the union organizations and trying to close a deal that avoids new mobilizations.
The company has also appointed Soledad Muñoz as the new director of Human Resources in Spain, replacing Antonio Lasada, who will assume the same position in China.
After the mobilizations last July, led by the Independent Union of Aeronautical Professionals (SIPA), and the rejection of the pre-agreement that the company had put on the table, the manufacturer decided to resort to professional mediation before the SIMA in order to bring positions closer.
With the recent strike call, Airbus resumed contacts with CGT, UGT, and ÚTIL, although these organizations already absented themselves from the meeting set for August 11.
Rejected pre-agreement, point of friction
The text previously agreed upon with SIPA and CCOO, which was rejected by 49.15% of the staff, included a general salary increase of 5% in 2026 and another 5% in 2027, to which a 0.5% annual amount for RSI was added and another 0.5% annual for promotions, along with a final cycle payment of 2,000 euros gross, a salary guarantee system, and the maintenance of the current two days of teleworking, among other aspects.
However, the aerospace group defended that this document is not going to "disappear" because it represents "months of work and very significant advances." In fact, Airbus had already indicated that it would continue to be the "central element" of the mediation.