About two hundred workers at the Mutxamel-based helicopter company Babcock staged a strike this Monday, leading a demonstration in front of the firm’s facilities. The workers’ committee of Avincis Technics, the company behind most of Spain’s emergency services, organized the mobilization to demand higher salaries and what they call reasonably decent working conditions for its roughly 650 employees across the country. The committee also said it would file a complaint with the National Court against the company’s move to halt negotiations and press ahead with a sectoral agreement.
Representatives for the staff explained that wages have been stagnant for more than seven years, while the firm has offered only 1% increases for this year and 1% for the next year, without taking into account the substantial 14% rise they proposed. They note that the proposal would reflect the sharp uptick in the consumer price index. Yet the surprise for the works council came last Friday when Avincis Technics, which was recently acquired by the investment fund Ancala Partners, announced it would end negotiations and proceed to implement what employees view as an industry-wide deal. The move was deemed disrespectful by the workforce.
David Vicente, chair of the works council, stated that the decision would worsen the wages and working conditions of the employees, and that they decided to challenge it before the National Court, arguing it is unlawful.
Meanwhile, the strike did not disrupt health service delivery in the province. The company pledged to maintain 100 percent of essential services as agreed. There were problems reported in Andalusia where these services were not guaranteed as planned.
In addition to today’s action, protests are set to continue next Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., with a series of mobilizations expected to run through until May 21 unless a settlement is reached.
[Citations attributed to sources tracking labor actions and corporate negotiations]