Airbus Spain workers will begin an indefinite strike starting today, Tuesday, August 25. The employees made the decision this Monday in assemblies organized by the CGT, UGT, and ÚTIL trade unions, voting to reject the company’s latest proposal and maintain the initially planned walkout, even though negotiations for an agreement will continue in the coming days. The European aerospace giant has eight production sites in Spain, employing a total of 14,000 workers.
According to union sources, although the votes from Airbus afternoon shift employees are yet to be counted, the results already make the decision final, as the majority of the workforce voted during the morning.
Airbus, for its part, “regretted” the workforce’s decision, stating that it is “analyzing the additional impact of this new strike call” on its production obligations, customer agreements, commitments with institutions, and company reputation, while also signaling that “reaching an agreement in the coming days is critical.”
In its latest proposal, Airbus committed to several points. Starting with the withdrawal of the appeal filed before the Supreme Court against the ruling that sided with the workers regarding the absenteeism monitoring system (the so-called Bradford factor). With this move, the aircraft manufacturer aimed to reimburse staff—in the earliest possible payroll—for the amounts deducted through the application of a system declared illegal.
Regarding wages, Airbus accepted an inflation-linked increase, which would be combined with an additional percentage aimed at recovering lost purchasing power over a shorter timeframe than previously negotiated, though this final point has yet to be finalized in upcoming meetings.
As for remote work, the company agreed to restore the conditions existing prior to the conflict without introducing changes, while maintaining current individual agreements.
