UK holidaymakers jetting to Spain could face a new strike threat in the coming weeks with cabin crew working for another low-cost airline involved in a pay dispute. Employees of Vueling, which operates flights from major Spanish airports, including Barcelona, Menorca, and Malaga, want bosses to review cabin crew wages.
The low-cost carrier, based in Barcelona, has benefitted from walkouts involving employees of rivals easyJet and Ryanair in recent weeks. However, unions are demanding an inflation proof wages hike for its cabin crew, with payments backdated.
There is no timetable for any action but unions claimed they wanted to make management aware of workers' anger.
Members of the CCOO union staged a protest outside the Vueling HQ at Barcelona airport earlier this week. A spokesperson said: "Unfortunately, the response has not been as expected. The protest was the first stage before calling a strike for August if our measures do not have any effect."
Passengers going to Spain could see major travel disruption through the month of August. The alert, published by the UK Foreign Office, comes ahead of strike action in the airline industry.
Pilots employed by easyJet in Spain are striking over a dispute over pay and working conditions across three 72-hour strikes from August 12 to 14, 19 to 21, and 27 to 29. At Ryanair, two cabin crew unions in Spain have also proposed weekly strikes over a five-month period beginning this month.
The Foreign Office's update reads: "Possible strike action may cause some disruption to flights to and from Spain. You should consult your airline for updates prior to travel."
Action will mainly affect the airports of Madrid-Barajas, Barcelona, Malaga, Alicante, Seville and Palma de Mallorca, and follows previous industrial action in June and July.
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