The USO union's airports division has announced that it intends giving advance warning of industrial action. This is due to be given on Monday, and the action relates to ground staff at airports; some 60,000 workers in all at airports in the Aena network in Spain.
There had been a threat of industrial action in the summer, but unions and management were able, with the intervention of the mediation tribunal, to come to a pre-agreement on new working conditions for the various categories of ground staff - check-in, baggage handling, aircraft manoeuvring, cabin service and so on. The negotiations have, however, not advanced as the USO had wanted.
Other unions represent handling workers as well. The CCOO and the UGT had joined forces with the USO in pressing claims in the summer. The demands centre on a new collective bargaining agreement for pay, rest days, overtime, promotion and family time. The negotiations are not with Aena but with Aseata, the association for ground assistance services businesses.
The USO maintains that the association's stance over the elements within the agreement means that the two sides are currently far apart in the negotiations.
