Ground staff in Spain responsible for handling Ryanair flights went on strike across the country’s main airports on Friday, though operations initially appeared to be little affected despite Europe being in the midst of peak holiday season.
Workers employed by Azul Handling, which is owned by the Irish low-cost airline and takes care of passenger services, baggage handling and aircraft towing among other services, have been demanding higher pay and better working conditions.
They plan to strike until Sunday, and have threatened to repeat the work action every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday until the rest of the year should Ryanair refuse to meet their demands.
On Saturday, they will be joined by employees of handling firm Menzies, which operates for several airlines, after workers announced strike action at weekends until the end of August.
The strike at Azul Handling initially appeared to have little impact on air traffic, with no cancellations and only slight delays reported by Spain’s main airports, according to flight tracking data by operator Aena.
This is likely due to legal obligations that require companies to ensure a minimum level of service during work action, tantamount to a de facto restriction on the right to strike.
Trade union UGT accused Azul Handling management of violating the right to strike.