Staff responsible for aircraft ground guidance at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport have called for two strike days on Wednesday and Friday during the Easter travel period to demand better working conditions.
Protests could impact up to about 1,000 flights, according to the trade union UGT, which notes that the employer has shown little willingness to engage in dialogue. The strike targets the service provider Serveo-Skyway, accusing it of reducing salaries over time.
This is not the first labor action by employees of this company, which operates at the Madrid airport. Late last year another walkout occurred with the entire workforce taking part, though the traffic impact on Spanish air travel was minimal.
Estimates from Aena indicate that Madrid-Barajas is planning the broadest Easter schedule among the Aena network, with 11,656 flights across the holiday period.
The UGT, which is organizing the stoppage, is calling for higher wages and the signing of a dedicated labor agreement that reflects the responsibilities, specialization, and demands of the specific role.
Workers argue that when the service began, employees earned around 2,000 euros net, but today, after 11 years and 25% inflation, new hires start at about 1,300 euros net in the first year and rise to around 1,600 euros later, without clear salary progression.
They also claim they have lost 10 vacation days since the job was created, possess 20 more days off, and that salaries for new entrants have dropped by nearly 30%. The SDP contends that the current pay conditions stem from AENA’s bidding model and the lack of labor regulation. They warn that privatization and private management of the service leave workers in a state of uncertainty about future contracts.
Additionally, they assert that new entrants must complete an extensive FEAST assessment and then pay for a mandatory training course ranging from 13,000 to 20,000 euros, which does not guarantee a position. An example cited is the 2022 downsizing episodes.
The group argues that lacking a formal collective bargaining agreement leaves them exposed to the discretion of the companies that win the contracts, with no standard protections to fall back on.
They accuse management of pressuring workers to accept offers from different firms to survive, and have taken the dispute to court as a last resort to regain years of achieved rights. A court case against Serveo-Skyway is scheduled for May, as talks to improve working conditions have not reached a resolution.
Approximately 1,000 flights could be affected. The strike was announced on March 1, and mediation with the SIMA board on March 13 failed to yield an agreement. At this time, the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility has not set minimum services levels, with more than 2,000 flights impacted and an expected cancellation of 800 to 1,000 flights over the two strike days. The union warned of these disruptions.
Workers believe they have no choice but to strike in response to what they view as abusive practices by Serveo-Skyway, Saerco, and Aena, and to what they describe as a sense of defenselessness in their position.
At the end of the day, the dispute centers on wages, job security, and the pace of regulatory change in public-private service contracts at one of Europe’s busiest hubs. The situation highlights tensions between labor groups and privatized airport services during peak travel periods, raising questions about wage progression, training costs, and the role of public authorities in safeguarding workers’ rights. Attribution: union representatives and airport authorities. Citations: UGT statements; Aena projections; SIMA mediation records.