Spain’s low-cost travel airline, Iberia Express cabin crew members announce their plan to go on strike from 28 August to 6 September, in a statement made by a union representative said on 17 August, in yet another labour dispute arising from the industry’s turbulent post-COVID recovery.
What does this mean for passengers flying with Iberia
A majority of airline strikes have been in held major summer travel destinations this year, such as Portugal and Spain.
The strike at Iberia Express, backed by USO and SITCPLA unions, follows walkouts across major European cities as staff complaints over pay amid the rise in the cost of living and decline in working conditions prompted by a surge in travel that followed the lifting of the pandemic restrictions.
“We are confident the strike can be avoided and that we can keep talking to guarantee stability and offer a good service to our customers,” Iberia Express said in a statement.
The aim of the strike is to renegotiate the airline’s collective agreement which was put on hold as a result of the pandemic. If the IAG group doesn’t come to an agreement with the airline’s crew, 500 Madrid-based Iberia Express crew will walk out for 10 days of the strike from Friday 28 August to Tuesday 6 September. The airline connects Madrid with about 40 cities all over Europe.
“We are very disappointed with Iberia Express’s management, which showed it doesn’t keep its word and doesn’t respect workers who have struggled to keep the company afloat,” in a joint statement.
The Iberia strike follows similar ones in Spain at Ryanair (RYA.I), the country’s largest airline in terms of passengers, and EasyJet (EZJ.L) during the summer.
Ryanair’s cabin crew plan to strike during weekdays, which are Monday to Thursday until January.
Do you think Iberia crew members will extend their strike? Let us know in the comments.
