Security workers at Barcelona El Prat International Airport are threatening an indefinite strike in a dispute over working conditions that threatens to bring travel chaos to the Spanish city over the busy summer holidays.
The union, which represents the majority of security officers at the Catalonian airport hub, says its members will stage strike action at peak times starting August 10 unless seven demands addressing working condition improvements are met.
Should the strike go ahead, security officers will stage walkouts from Thursday through to Sunday between the hours of 4 am and 7 am, 9 am and 11 am and from 4 pm and 6 pm to coincide with when major waves of passengers arrive at the airport for departing flights.
In a statement, the Independent Trade Union and Civil Servants Center (CSIF) said security officers were demanding a 10-minute break per every hour of work, alongside a slew of other improvements, including a guarantee that workers get at least two weekends off per month.
The union also wants workers to receive a bonus for language skills and is asking the contract company that employs the guards to pay for their parking at the airport.
There was major disruption when guards at the airport’s security checkpoints last went on strike in 2017, and unless an agreement can be reached in the next week there are fears that flights could yet again be badly affected.
Aviation workers across Europe have seized the opportunity to demand big pay rises and quality of life improvements as airlines desperately try to avoid a repeat of the disruption that marred the industry last summer.
In most cases, strike action has been averted with the offer of inflation-busting pay rises, although there has been disruption in several countries, including security officer strikes in Germany and air traffic control walkouts in France.
