HOLIDAYMAKERS flying to and from Palma airport in Mallorca this August can breathe a sigh of relief after an indefinite strike that threatened to derail operations was called off at the last minute.
Ground handling staff employed by Swissport had been due to walk out from August 4, raising fears of flight delays, baggage disruption and longer queues during one of the busiest periods of the summer.
But the strike will no longer go ahead after unions reached a last-ditch agreement with the company, securing all of the key demands made by workers.
The action would have impacted Swissport’s services for several airlines operating at Palma, including Condor, Sunclass, TUI, Air Canada, Etihad Airways, Alba Star and TAP Air Portugal.
Under the agreement, employees on part-time contracts will be able to increase their working week to 40 hours.
Workers will also receive an €85 monthly bonus during July, August and September to compensate for increased workloads, while staff will now be guaranteed two consecutive days off each week.
The company has also pledged to repair faulty air conditioning in airport vehicles, withdraw any without working cooling systems during periods of extreme heat and rotate drivers to protect their health.
A dedicated negotiating group will also be established before August 15 to address irregular working hours, while a joint monitoring committee will meet every fortnight to ensure the agreement is properly implemented.
Despite the breakthrough in Palma, industrial action is still causing disruption at other popular locations in Spain.
At Barcelona El-Prat airport, workers employed by Groundforce began an indefinite strike on Tuesday, forcing the cancellation of at least 20 flights.
The company provides ground services for airlines including Air Europa, Lufthansa, Air France, KLM, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways.
Union representatives said participation in the strike had been ‘very high’ among Groundforce employees.
Further disruption is expected during the busy August getaway season, despite minimum service levels imposed by Spain’s transport ministry.
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