A group of workers at the Babcock MCS Fleet and INAER aviation services in Spain is preparing to strike. The companies in the Avincis Techniques group, now owned by Ancala Partners, employ about 650 administrative and technical staff in emergency air services. The workers say conditions have become unacceptable and call for fair pay and working conditions before the start of a planned strike next Monday. This action follows a pattern of stoppages and demonstrations that have taken place over recent months.
The works council issued a statement noting that the 2015 collective agreement for INAER, which would guide the next three years, was rejected by the business community. Since 2017, the labor representatives have pressed for a new contract that would safeguard and improve the workers’ pay and working conditions. The council underscored that breaches of the 2015 agreement by company management and HR have been persistent and need resolution through the courts, up to the national level, to protect labor rights.
The council explained that a year ago there appeared to be a shift in the company’s stance toward its workforce. Negotiations resumed in the hope of avoiding a strike, especially given the surge in living costs. Yet a recent decision by the investment fund behind Avincis, now under the Partners umbrella, did not lead to a timely resolution, and concerns grew that the situation would worsen over the following years.
In recent months, Avincis T. has reportedly not complied with a National Court ruling ensuring adequate housing for workers assigned to campaigns during the Covid crisis and has been accused of restricting the right to legal representation. With a cumulative consumer price index increase of around 19 percent at that time, and salary scales largely frozen for several years, workers faced a continuous erosion of purchasing power. The atmosphere among the staff grew tense, and the sense of an unsustainable situation intensified.
The company has endured a severe crisis in aviation, with Covid leaving a heavy imprint yet the essential rescue, sanitary, and firefighting operations preserved. Today the firm continues to take on care for third parties, but reputational and treatment concerns have contributed to a shrinking workforce. Following mobilization by Avincis T. the corporate committee alerted the company, its customers, and current owners to the grave situation, stressing that the only viable path forward was a disciplined strike to press for decent working conditions.
The committee conveyed that the company offered a lower CPI increase than initially requested, paired with a 36-month staged recovery plan. To date, the workers have received only a small percentage increase, with further increases deferred for a year. The CPI for 2023 remains a stark reminder of eroded purchasing power, and attempts to label workers as privileged in public media were met with strong resistance. Wage cuts implemented in 2015 and years of wage stagnation had already left many employees at the edge, even as the cost of living climbed. A mediation attempt, supported by the social partners and a mediator, was rejected by the company as negotiations stretched on, making the strike feel inevitable to many in the workforce.
Therefore, Ancala Partners moved to enter the Spanish market with the strike planned to begin on March 20. The approach would start with a full-time work stoppage and then transition to a partial, ongoing action. The workers insist that a strike is the last resort after prolonged efforts to secure fair pay and safe, humane working conditions, and many hope it will prompt a constructive reassessment from the company and its owners.