pre-agreement between management of AENA, the Spanish Airport Authority, and unions representing the workers has been reached

formal annoucement about the cancelling of the planned 22 days of strike action will be announced after the agreement is put to the workers in a referendumPresident of Aena, Juan Ignacio Lema (left) with Isaías Táboas - EFE


A pre-agreement between management of AENA, the Spanish Airport Authority, and unions representing the workers has been reached overnight, with AENA tweeting this morning that the agreement would see the calling off of the 22 days threatened strike action between April and August which also includes three days in Holy Week over Easter.

The pre-agreement now has to be put to the workers assemblies.
AENA claims it guarantees the labour rights of all the workers, even if a process of partial privatisation goes ahead, and both sides have given an undertaking to talk and collaborate to resolve the conflict.

The number of current workers is guaranteed and those currently employed by AENA as temporary workers will be converted in fixed workers. The agreement, if approved, would be in force until 2018.

The role of the Secretary of State for Transport, Isaías Táboas, and a new text from the Ministry for Development, are said to have been key in the talks in the early hours of Wednesday; talks which continued for nearly 17 hours.

An official calling off of the strike threat is said to be ‘a step away’ after union leaders confirmed that the principle of an agreement has indeed been found.

CCOO union spokesman, José Manuel Lorenzo, said the deal now had to be ratified by the workers in a referendum.