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Date Published: 27/12/2023

Spanish baggage handler strikes back on: flights, dates and airports affected

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Iberia has decided to go ahead with industrial action at 29 airports in Spain in January

Spanish baggage handler strikes back on: flights, dates and airports affected

The UGT and CCOO unions have announced that four days of strike action will go ahead after negotiations with Iberia crumbled over the company’s refusal to create an autohandling service.

Some 8,000 baggage handlers working for Iberia Airport Services will now down tools on January 5, 6, 7 and 8.

The issues stem from a mass reorganisation by Aena last month which saw Iberia lose its contract at eight airports in Spain. The company has reportedly sacked 3,000 workers and has been heavily criticised for refusing to consider autohandling, which is the provision of ground assistance services. This includes passenger transfer, baggage check-in, merchandise management or other assistance services to aircraft.

For its part, Iberia describes this strike as “irresponsible” and has voiced its “enormous disappointment" with staff and the unions. The company insists that “the new situation caused by the resolution of Aena's handling tenders does not put at risk even a single job of a single Iberia worker.” Furthermore, they assure that autohandling is simply not viable solution.

January’s protest extends to the twenty-nine national airports served by Iberia Airport Services, including Madrid, Barcelona, Alicante, Valencia, Malaga, Seville, Palma de Mallorca and Tenerife.

Since Iberia considers an autohandling service to be unfeasible, in its place the company has put an ambitious proposal on the table to alleviate the discontent of the unions. It has proposed the creation of a hybrid model with an IAG Group company that would carry out the handling for all airlines at the eight airports where the company lost the license.

However, the unions have flat out refused this solution, claiming that it is “illegal” and so the strikes will almost certainly go ahead.

In other news: The big freeze arrives in Spain: weather forecast Dec 27-Jan 1

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