Between the beginning of March and the Easter weekend, travelers may experience disruptions in transport in Spain, France, and the UK.
Strikes at 17 Spanish airports
Some of Spain’s busiest airports will face union strikes by ground handling and cargo handling firm Swissport. From February 27 to April 13, they announced a series of 24-hour strikes every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.
Swissport Handling serves Madrid Barajas, Barcelona El Prat, Reus, Alicante, Valencia, Murcia, Malaga, Almeria, Salamanca, Valladolid, Burgos, Logroño, Zaragoza, Huesca, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Tenerife Sur.
Unions will be required to provide a minimum of services as required by Spanish law, so it is not yet clear what impact the strikes will have on passengers.
Ongoing strikes in France
Trade unions across France are waging a relentless battle against plans to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.
Previously, railway workers and airport employees participated in the strike: 30% of flights from Paris Orly airport were canceled on the last day of the strike. On March 7, the trade unions planned the most serious actions and promise to completely stop France.
The possibility of moving to “sliding” strikes, during which its participants take turns replacing each other, is also being discussed. Paris metro workers are one group advocating a shift to strikes that can start and end at any time within a given period.
Heathrow workers call for Easter strike
More than 3,000 security guards, engineers, and firefighters working at Heathrow Airport are now voting to strike over low wages.
If Unite workers vote to strike, it could coincide with a busy Easter holiday period.
“If our members at HAL [Heathrow Airport] go on strike, it will result in a major disruption to all of Heathrow with inevitable delays, disruptions, and flight cancellations,” says Unite regional coordinator Wayne King.
UK border guards continue to strike
The union of public and commercial workers in the UK is organizing a series of targeted strikes. The border guards will also strike – they will take part in the day of mass actions, which will be held on March 15. On this day, 100,000 civil servants plan to strike.
The strike will be timed to coincide with the government’s spring budget and could affect airports and seaports across the country.