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Anyone flying to or from Spain this Easter would be wise to double check their flight before setting off. Ground handling staff at 12 Spanish airports began an indefinite strike on Monday March 30, with more than 5,500 workers called out by unions in a dispute over pay, and the timing couldn't be more disruptive.

 

The strike involves ground staff employed by Groundforce, a company affiliated with Air Europa, and has been called by unions CCOO, UGT and USO. According to the unions, the action is a response to what they describe as a loss of purchasing power, with the company accused of interpreting its collective bargaining agreement in a way that has blocked wage increases linked to accumulated inflation since 2022.

 

The unions have made it clear that negotiation remains their preference, but that they won't accept arrangements that effectively hollow out agreed pay deals.

 

If no agreement is reached, further strike action is planned on Wednesday April 1 and Friday April 3, covering the time slots of 5am to 7am, 11am to 5pm and 10pm to midnight. The airports affected are Barcelona El Prat, Madrid Barajas, Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Bilbao, Zaragoza, Alicante, Valencia, Seville and Málaga.

 

Estimates suggest that more than 1.3 million passengers could be affected if the dispute runs through the Easter period without a resolution, making it one of the most significant potential travel disruptions of the holiday season.

 

The companies involved have already asked the Ministry to establish minimum services to keep some operations running, although what that will look like in practice remains to be seen.

 

If you're travelling through any of the affected airports over Easter, it's worth checking directly with your airline for the latest updates before you head to the terminal.