The mobilization will not only affect Iberia, but will complicate the operations of more than 90 airline companies
The meeting held this Thursday in Madrid between the airline Iberia and the unions CCOO, UGT in the Mediation and Arbitration Service of the Community of Madrid (SIMA) has ended without an agreement that could stop the strike scheduled between 5 and 8 January in ground handling services (ramp handling), coinciding with Three Kings and the end of the Christmas holidays.
Almost a hundred airline companies could be affected by the strike that is looming at Spanish airports this Christmas.
Everything indicates that if there are no last minute changes in those days, up to 29 airports could be affected by the handling strike called by Iberia workers, including the large hubs of Madrid and Barcelona, in addition to the Palma de Mallorca aerodromes. , Málaga, Alicante, Gran Canaria, Tenerife North, Tenerife South, Valencia, Seville, Ibiza and Bilbao, with a large influx of travelers these days.
The mobilization will not only affect Iberia, but will complicate the operations of more than 90 airlines to which it provides handling services on the Aena network.
After the meeting ended without an agreement, Iberia has assured that it “deeply” regrets the unions’ refusal to call off the strike scheduled for next week and reiterates its willingness to dialogue, as airline sources have told Europa Press.
“In order to advance in any type of negotiation, Iberia maintains its essential condition that the strikes be called off, which will cause unnecessary and unjustified harm to the thousands of travelers who return from their Three Kings holidays on those dates,” says the airline. .
Iberia reiterates that the V Sector Agreement guarantees “absolutely” all jobs as well as all salary and extra-salary conditions for life in a subrogation process.
The airline had proposed the creation of a “hybrid” model owned by an IAG Group company, “even exploring the possibility of this vehicle being 100% owned by the group at the airports where it made sense”, which would carry out handling for all of the airlines. IAG at all eight airports.
The unions rejected this plan and described it as “trilerism” and “sleight of hand.” For this reason, they requested a viability plan for Iberia’s handling business; solutions for the eight affected airports, in which workers must be covered by the Iberia agreement, and an agreed ERE if there are surplus staff.
The airline insists that all jobs in ground services at the eight airports are guaranteed by subrogation, so there is no destruction of employment or direct elimination of jobs, in addition to ensuring working conditions. agreed.
The salary calculated based on the last 12 months is guaranteed, the same annual working hours and vacation days as the last year, the worker’s seniority, the same type of contract and work group, the salary review established in the agreement, as well as the acquired rights over the use of airline tickets and pension plans.
For Iberia, autohandling would mean a “significant impact” on its accounts, especially due to the notable loss of competitiveness. “Autohandling at the eight airports would deal a definitive blow to the future of the ground service business,” the airline says.
“A strike in the middle of the Three Kings holidays will only cause enormous damage, especially to thousands of travelers who choose those dates to enjoy with their families,” warned the airline, which assured that calling a strike on these Christmas dates could affect more than 90 airline companies.
REJECTION OF PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES.
Precisely today it has become known that the National Court has rejected the appeal filed by the airline in which it requested the adoption of precautionary measures to stop the award in the ground handling contest of 41 licenses for the 43 airports and two heliports of the Aena network.
The court denies the precautionary measure requested by Iberia, considering the “public interest” of executing the bankruptcy resolution to be evident.
The airline appealed the contest first before the Central Administrative Court of Contractual Resources (TACRC) and later before the National Court (AN) to try to recover part of the business that moves more than 5,000 million euros in revenue.
At the beginning of December, the TACRC decided to reject the appeal filed by the airline for “lacking jurisdiction.” The court’s decision did not go into assessing the substance of the matter or the irregularities that Iberia denounced in its appeal, but it rejected the airline’s argument that this handling tender was comparable to a public service contract or a service concession.
The AN denies the precautionary measure requested by Iberia, considering “obvious and relevant” the public interest in executing the resolution of the handling tender.
In its brief, the Contentious-Administrative Chamber of the National Court agrees with the TACRC, which rejected the airline’s premise that the handling tender is comparable to a public service contract or a service concession, and indicates that its conclusion “cannot be discussed or amended within the scope of a precautionary measure as it is a limited channel of argument and defense for the parties.”
“For the rest, the public interest in the enforceability of the decision adopted seems evident and relevant to us, since handling or ground assistance services have an unquestionable scope in the airport field and in the satisfaction of the public interest inherent therein” , points out the ruling of December 22 to which Europa Press has had access.
Now the National Court must rule on the merits of the matter, although the ruling may take years.
