Ryanair faces major labor unrest in Spain
Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair is now confronting a major labor dispute in Spain. Its ground-handling subsidiary, Azul Handling, faces a wave of strikes that could stretch through the end of next year.
The UGT union section at Azul, backed by Spain’s second-largest labor group, CGT, has called for multiple strike actions during the August 15 holiday weekend. It is one of the busiest travel periods of the year. The unions say they plan to extend the stoppages until December 31, 2025.
Endless strikes until December?
The strikes would hit key Spanish airports where Ryanair operates, threatening to disrupt passenger flow well into the post-summer travel season. The first walkouts will take place on August 15, 16, and 17, followed by recurring stoppages every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It would affect most Spanish airports including Barcelona and Madrid or Palma.
The strikes will target peak operating hours—5 a.m. to 9 a.m., noon to 3 p.m., and 9 p.m. to midnight—when demand for ground services is highest.
Union leaders accuse Azul Handling’s management of “systematic job insecurity” and repeated violations of labor rights. Their grievances include a lack of permanent job creation, refusal to consolidate hours for part-time permanent staff, pressure to work extra hours (sometimes with disproportionate penalties), breaches of sector agreements on bonuses and guarantees, and allegedly unlawful restrictions on returning to work after sick leave or adjusting schedules for family reasons.
“We denounce a deliberate strategy of precariousness and pressure that tramples on employees’ fundamental rights and ignores union demands,” said José Manuel Pérez Grande, UGT’s federal secretary for the aviation sector. The union is demanding the lifting of sanctions, compliance with joint committee rulings, and urgent negotiations to improve conditions for more than 3,000 affected employees nationwide.
Meanwhile Ryanair told many media in a statement that it “does not expect any operational impact from strikes by third-party ground-handling services in Spain.” To be followed…
TravelMole Editorial Team
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