News
An indefinite ground-staff strike puts El Prat to the test
Barcelona-El Prat Airport has faced an indefinite strike by Groundforce staff since Tuesday, 4 August. The stoppage affects check-in, boarding, baggage, ramp and flight-coordination services, so passengers may encounter longer waits and changes to normal operations.
The strike call begins at 00:00 and covers a workforce of 1,179 employees. CGT, the majority union on the works council, is maintaining the protest after negotiation attempts failed to reach an agreement with management.
Workers denounce a lack of staff, an overload of tasks and high turnover in positions essential to the airport's operation. They also point to the frequent use of overtime, insufficient rest and inadequate training for some new recruits.
Groundforce provides assistance to more than twenty companies operating at El Prat's two terminals. They include Air Europa, Lufthansa, Air France, KLM, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, ITA Airways, United Airlines, Finnair and several long-haul airlines.
Between August and September, these companies have scheduled around 11,600 movements and close to 2.4 million seats. The real impact will depend on participation in the strike and on the company's ability to maintain service at check-in desks, boarding gates and baggage areas.
The Ministry of Transport has established different minimum services depending on the type of flight. During August, 80% of connections with non-peninsular territories and public-service routes will be protected, along with 58% of international flights and journeys without a ground alternative of under five hours, and 35% of the remaining peninsular connections.
The existence of minimum services does not rule out delays, queues or occasional problems with baggage. Those flying with any of the airlines served by Groundforce should check their flight status, complete online check-in where possible and arrive at the airport earlier.
The conflict begins at one of the busiest times of the summer, with thousands of travellers beginning or ending their holidays. The situation will be especially noticeable in the processes before take-off, where any delay on the ground can later spread to boarding gates, connections and baggage reclaim.