Staff shortages, flights cancelled, queues at airport controls, and now comes the threat of strikes.
Air-traffic controllers in Palma will decide towards the end of this month whether or not they will join a national strike, the principal reasons for which are personnel shortages and overwork. Palma is one of five control centres in Spain, and an assembly of representatives of these control centres will ultimately decide if they go on strike. The state-owned air navigation company, Enaire, has been promising more staff.
The other strike threat concerns Ryanair. It affects cabin crew and was called on Monday by the USO and Sitcpla unions after the airline broke off negotiations to improve working conditions. If it goes ahead, the strike will be for six days - the weekends of June 24-26 and June 30-July 2. According to the unions, some fifty flights in the Balearics would be affected.
How much of an impact there will be will depend on the minimum services. The unions are determined that they won't allow Ryanair to go as far as with previous industrial action and demand 100% minimum services, which the Audiencia Nacional high court in Madrid ruled illegal. Manuel Lodeiro for Sitcpla says that he doesn't think these will be the last strikes, "if the company continues with its attitude".
As well as Palma and Ibiza, Ryanair has eight other bases: Madrid, Malaga, Barcelona, Alicante, Seville, Valencia, Girona and Santiago de Compostela. In all, some 1,400 staff could go on strike.
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