A strike by Ryanair ground staff began on Friday right in the middle of Spain’s August bank holiday weekend, affecting airports in Malaga, Seville and Almeria.
The first stoppage, from 5am to 9am, passed without major incidents. Only one flight in Malaga suffered a slight delay, and that was for reasons unrelated to the strike, said Manuel Godino, air sector secretary of the Andalusian Workers’ Union (UGT).
But unions accused Ryanair-owned Azul Handling of failing to release figures on how many staff actually walked out, and claimed it had even called back employees on holiday to cover minimum services.
The action is part of a nationwide strike hitting all Ryanair bases in Spain, with stoppages scheduled across three time slots each day: 5-9am, 12-3pm, and 9pm-midnight.
UGT says the walkouts are a protest against disciplinary sanctions and what it describes as ‘abusive overtime demands.’
Strikes are set to continue this Saturday and Sunday, as well as August 16 and 17, and then every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the rest of the year.
Malaga, where 593 flights were scheduled on Friday alone – 462 of them international – faces a double headache, as UGT’s strike coincides with another called by another union, the CGT.
On top of this, UGT has also announced strike action for ground staff at Menzies Aviation, which handles major airlines including Emirates, British Airways, American Airlines, EasyJet, Turkish Airlines, Norwegian and Wizz Air.
That strike will hit five airports, including Malaga, on August 16, 17, 23, 24, 30 and 31.
Minimum services
The Ministry of Transport has set minimum service levels ranging from 76% to 87% on domestic flights to and from the islands during August, dropping slightly in September and October.
On mainland routes where there is no alternative under five hours, airlines must maintain 54% to 63% of services. For routes with quicker alternatives, the requirement falls as low as 27%.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
