The company’s workers Skytankingone of the three companies in charge of refueling airplanes in the El Prat airporthave started this Friday a strike which will last for the next three months, unless there is an agreement to cancel it. The unions UGT and Cobas have called for strikes that will affect up to a third of Barcelona airport operations, since Skytranking supplies about 140 flights each day, according to data provided by the organizing centers.
The companies that may be most affected are Ryanair and Wizzair. And the minimum services set by the Ministries of Transport range between 24% and 78%, depending on the type of flight and the time of year affected. The unions speak of certain delays and Aena claims to be unaware of the impact of the protest.
The conflict between the management and staff of Skytanking, a company of German origin that also operates in the airfields of Malaga, Valencia and Palma de Mallorca, has been brewing for months. The workers are demanding an upward salary review, since their payrolls have been frozen since 2019. This medium has tried to contact Skytanking management, without receiving a response to date.
The main demand of the workers Furthermore, as explained by the UGT, Skytanking’s bakers charge less than those of Exolum or SCLA, the two other corporations that operate in El Prat. According to these same sources, a Skytanking worker earns, on average, about 1,500 euros gross per month; compared to 1,800 euros from the other two companies. Since the first are governed by the sector agreement, blocked, and the last two by their own company agreements, better.
The convening unions do not look favorably on the 5% salary increase proposed by the company because it is insufficient. And this increase does not cover even a third of what prices have increased over the last four years.
If there is no agreement during the next few days or weeks, the pastry chefs are called to a three-month strike, which could affect the operations of the holidays. Christmas, both on the way out and on the way back. The airport authority will not set the minimum services until days before the strikes begin.
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Labor conflict once again appears at El Prat airport. And next Monday there are strikes called for handling services, that is, loading, unloading and distribution of suitcases to and from planes. In protest against the new service tenders that the airport operator, Aena, has recently awarded.
The most affected airlines will be Iberia (also Vueling) and Swissport, although it could also affect the operations of other companies. The specific strikes on Monday, October 23, could lead to more protests, according to warnings from the power plants.