Efforts to end the nationwide strike that has paralysed Airbus’ six Spanish plants collapsed on 17 July after workforce assemblies rejected a tentative wage and remote-work agreement brokered by the CCOO union. The walk-out, which began on 6 July, affects the company’s facilities in Getafe, Puerto Real, Illescas, Tablada, Albacete and Barajas, where key components for the A320neo and A350 are manufactured. The pre-deal offered a 5 % general pay rise retroactive to January 2026, another 5 % in April 2027, and a pilot programme allowing engineers to telework three days a week. Rank-and-file staff, however, demanded an immediate 8 % increase to match inflation and a binding commitment to keep final-assembly work in Spain. As a result, picket lines and minimum-service decrees remain in force, with production output estimated at just 38 % of normal levels. For global-mobility managers the stakes are high. Airbus routinely flies specialist crews from Toulouse and Hamburg to Spanish sites for quality-control sign-offs; those trips are now being rescheduled via Bilbao and Seville to avoid pickets. Airlines awaiting delivery slots fear cascading delays: Iberia has already warned investors that two A321XLR aircraft slated for December hand-over may slip into 2027. The industrial action also complicates relocation plans for executives on intra-company transfer permits, as HR teams cannot guarantee on-site workdays required by Spanish immigration authorities to maintain the highly qualified professional (HQP) status. Legal advisers recommend documenting telework days meticulously and notifying the UGE-CE if remote work exceeds 30 % of the annual total. Talks resume on 22 July under the mediation of the National Arbitration Board, but insiders say the government may intervene given the strike’s ripple effects on Spain’s aerospace export figures, which topped €11 billion in 2025.
Source: Cinco Días
