Airbus employees in Spain resume strike after rejecting offer

Airbus workers in Spain have resumed their strike action after rejecting the company's latest pay offer and mediation proposal. The strike began on Tuesday, representing about 90% of eligible employees, according to unions. This is the continuation of a 22-day strike initiated in July. French unions informed that these Spanish unions represent roughly 40% of Airbus Spain's 14,000 employees. The exact number of striking workers cannot be independently verified.

The strike was called following a vote by plant-level assemblies, where workers rejected the pay and conditions proposal presented by Airbus at a mediation session on Friday. Unions criticized the offer for lacking firm timelines, financial commitments, and omitting key issues such as holidays, flexible hours, and transport. Airbus, facing pressure to meet its annual delivery target of 870 jets, has halted planned hiring in Spain throughout the strike, as confirmed by Alfonso Mora, head of the Airbus works council in Spain.

The strike has impacted both military transport planes and commercial aircraft production, potentially hindering Airbus's ability to meet its delivery goal. Workers are demanding inflation-linked pay increases, the restoration of remote-working arrangements, and improvements to sick-leave benefits. Airbus had previously eased its plans to reduce remote working, enabling staff to work from home an average of two days per week.

Despite this concession, union representatives for UGT and CGT maintain that the strike is already affecting production and will make it more challenging for the company to meet its delivery target. Airbus has not yet responded to requests for comment on the ongoing dispute.