Departure gate security staff on 'indefinite strike' after voting against government pay rise proposal

Workers from the franchise firm, Eulen, which mans the gates to the departure lounge, want a salary increase of €250 a month payable 15 times a year, but the ministry of public works – led by Íñigo de la Serna – considers this excessive.

It has offered them a very generous €200 a month payable 12 times a year, and warned that it would not budge any further.

Meanwhile, the Guardia Civil has been brought in the cut the queues, since thousands of passengers have missed their flights despite getting to the airport before even check-in was open.

And they are not able to claim compensation, because the delays are out of their airlines' control.

The staff committee voted 150 against to 36 in favour of the pay rises, and their solicitor has slammed the government for bringing in the Guardia Civil to replace the striking workers.

The right to strike must, by definition, result in an impact on services provided by staff who have downed tools, otherwise their powers of persuasion are lost and they are unable to use industrial action as a last-resort bargaining tool.

But in light of their sheer intransigence, Spain's economy being heavily dependent upon tourism and holidaymakers losing hundreds of euros a head and their breaks being spoiled, the ministry has decided to intervene.

The government's regional constituency in Catalunya has ordered Eulen to provide 'minimum services', which it has defined as 90%, but either this is not enough to guarantee smooth functioning of security gates or the instructions have not been complied with.

Staff solicitor Leopoldo García Quinteiro considers otherwise.

“The government does not have a right to act as arbitrator in this case, as it goes against the basic principles of democracy and is tantamount to threats,” García Quinteiro complains, criticising what he calls De la Serna's 'arrogance'.

Obligatory arbitration comes into force when a strike is at stalemate and a service grinds to a halt with no sign of resolution on the horizon, but the workers' lawyer insists it has not reached that stage.

“For as long as they do not break the rules concerning minimum service provision, the required conditions for mandatory arbitration are not present and [De la Serna]'s attempts to impose this is abusive – fruit of laws more in keeping with Franco's régime and which have been clearly declared null and void by precedent in Constitutional Court cases.

“The requested minimum services will be complied with, and have been complied with scrupulously up to now,” employees' legal advisor concludes.

In the last few days, passengers have reported security workers handing out flyers to them which blame the government for the queues.

Consumer organisations based in Catalunya have urged travellers to take photographs to add weight to future claims for compensation, which are likely to be collective.