Iberia workers promise not to repeat El Prat standstill 04/08/2006 00:00

4 August 2006

BARCELONA – Spanish airline Iberia has struck a deal with workers to guarantee the majority of groundstaff jobs at El Prat airport in Barcelona.

On Friday, it was reported that the committee for workers at the company had agreed not to take any industrial action, particularly at El Prat, on condition that 1,300 of the current 2,000 jobs were safeguarded.

The deal came after a four-hour meeting on Thursday between workers’ representatives and Iberia. The meeting was scheduled by Iberia last Friday, putting an end to more than eight hours in which workers occupied the runways and brought havoc to the airport.

Jobs are to be guaranteed by Iberia providing baggage handling to its own flights. Under the agreement, Iberia is also to request a licence to provide baggage handling to its subsidiaries Air Nostrum and low budget Clickair which starts flights in the autumn.

Iberia has promised to shed redundant posts by early retirement and redundancy incentive packages.

The deal now has to be passed through Iberia’s unions and the company will meet with workers again in September.

Meanwhile, passengers at El Prat continued to lodge complaints for delays caused through the industrial action last Friday.

Although a week later the airport has largely returned to normal, Catalonia’s regional government has renewed its demand to take over its management, blaming Iberia, airport management company AENA and the central government for the chaos.

So far, the Spanish government has dismissed the idea.

[Copyright EFE with Expatica]

Subject: Spanish news