Airbus workers in Spain strike over working conditions

Airbus employees in Spain have gone on strike until the end of July over deteriorating working conditions, including sub-inflation pay rises and tighter attendance monitoring.

​Employees of aircraft maker Airbus have ​gone on strike across ‌most of ​Spain until the end of July over what unions describe as deteriorating working conditions.

Workers are protesting over ‌issues including sub-inflation pay rises, tighter attendance monitoring and requirements for office staff to spend more time on site, the Independent Union of Aviation Professionals (SIPA) said in a statement. Airbus, ‌which is under pressure to meet its annual delivery target of 870 ‌jets while grappling with supply-chain constraints, already faced stoppages and protests in France last month after reducing the number of days white-collar staff could work remotely.

The strike, called by SIPA on ⁠July 1, ​initially gained support at ⁠Airbus's Getafe plant near Madrid before spreading to other sites and attracting backing from additional ⁠unions, a union leader said. CCOO, Airbus's largest union in Spain, has not joined the action ​but said on Facebook it would call an indefinite strike from September ⁠7 if its demands were not met.

"If no agreement is reached, delivery schedules will be seriously ⁠affected ​by the strike and the industrial action taking place during the final four months of the year at all Airbus Spain sites," CCOO said. Airbus ⁠employs more than 14,000 people in Spain across eight sites in Madrid, Castile-La Mancha ⁠and Andalusia, ⁠where it produces military transport planes and parts for commercial aircraft and satellites. Getafe is the company's third-largest site worldwide, according to ‌Airbus's website.