Strikes at 25 airports from September to the end of the year

A GENERAL strike across 25 of Spain's airports will run for 25 days from September 15 as workers protest ofer job conditions and pay – a move that is independent of the current industrial action at Barcelona's El Prat security gates.

The strikes will be joined by workers across the board – car park staff, firefighters, luggage-belt operators, electricians, retail and catering, security, IT and control tower maintenance.

Anyone who works for the airport infrastructure governing body AENA or the airport management public-sector run Enaire will be called to strike.

Three major unions – USO, the CCOO (Labourers' Commissions) and UGT (General Workers' Union) – have filed notice of industrial action with the Commission for Interpretation, Surveillance, Conciliation and Arbitration (CIVCA), a body set up to mediate between employees and airport authorities and which comprises five AENA representatives and five union spokespersons.

The UGT says it is 'confident' strike action will be avoided by successful negotiations ahead of the dates.

Staff will down tools for 24 hours on September 15, 17, 22, 24 and 29, then on October 1, 6, 11, 15, 27, 30 and 31.

Strikes will continue on November 3 and 5 and on December 1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10 and from December 26 to 30 inclusive, affecting Christmas travel.

The CCOO, USO and UGT say AENA's 'extraordinarily good' financial results have not been passed onto staff who, with inflation and higher taxes over the past few years, have lost up to 8% of their spending power as their salaries have not moved.

Additionally, the unions want to see AENA create a further 450 jobs and Enaire another 250, on top of those employees taken on to replace outgoing staff.

The idea of the extra jobs is to 'ensure adequate safety and security conditions' in all airports in light of growing demand in the air travel sector.

Anyone planning to travel between September and New Year should keep a note of the dates and, if they are impossible to avoid, allow several extra hours for delays on the day of their flights.