Labor Negotiations Break Down, Three Major Unions Call for Strike
Spain’s Workers’ Commissions (CCOO), the General Union of Workers (UGT), and the Workers’ Trade Union (USO) have jointly announced that they are calling an indefinite strike for employees of the ground handling services company Groundforce due to a deadlock in negotiations for a new collective agreement. The company, part of the Globalia group, provides essential ground handling services at 12 airports across Spain.
The trigger for this labor dispute is the disagreement over salary adjustments. The strike is scheduled to officially begin on March 27, 2026, just before the peak travel period for the Holy Week holiday, raising widespread public concern about potential flight delays or cancellations.
Scope and Schedule of the Strike
According to the joint statement released by the unions, the strike will affect all 12 Spanish airports where Groundforce operates, including several international hubs such as Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport, Barcelona-El Prat Airport, and Palma de Mallorca Airport.
To maximize pressure, the strike will take the form of periodic, partial work stoppages scheduled for every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The daily strike hours are divided into three slots:
- 5:00 to 7:00
- 11:00 to 17:00
- 22:00 to 24:00
This intermittent strike model is designed to continuously disrupt airport operations while leaving room for further negotiations.
The Dispute Over Wage Increases: The Core of the Disagreement
The core of the dispute between labor and management lies in the application of the salary tables, particularly how to apply the inflation adjustment clause linked to the Consumer Price Index (IPC). The unions point out that the company’s unilateral interpretation of Article 96 of the collective agreement effectively nullifies the clause in Article 94 intended to safeguard employees’ purchasing power.
The unions believe that, according to the 2026 salary table, administrative staff and front-line agents should receive a salary increase of 7.82% to maintain parity with other job categories and positions. However, the company is currently only offering a fixed wage increase of 4.58%. This gap of nearly 3.24 percentage points represents an insurmountable chasm in the negotiations.
Union Mobilization and Potential Travel Impact
Facing the negotiation deadlock, the CCOO, UGT, and USO unions are calling on all Groundforce employees to actively support the strike, emphasizing that widespread participation is key to strengthening the unions’ bargaining power and achieving a fair resolution. The unions state that only through collective action can they compel the company to return to the negotiating table and address the legitimate demands of the workforce.
Given the scale and timing of the strike, if the two parties fail to reach an agreement before March 27, it is expected to have a significant impact on air passenger transport in Spain, especially disrupting the travel plans of numerous passengers scheduled to travel during the Holy Week holiday.
