The unions have called strikes at the airport ground services ('handling') companies Groundforce and Menzies, in the first case with partial and indefinite stoppages starting from March 27 and in the second from March 28, to demand salary recovery.
The first, Groundforce, is one of the two main companies responsible for handling at César Manrique after winning Aena's latest tender for handling licenses at César Manrique and is responsible for approximately 40% of the flights on the island. The other awarded company in Lanzarote is Aviapartner.
At Groundforce, the call from CCOO, UGT and USO begins on March 27, with stoppages in the shifts of morning, afternoon and night (from 05:00 to 07:00, from 11:00 to 17:00, and from 22:00 until 00:00 hours) and will continue indefinitely.
In Groundforce there has been a disagreement with the company regarding the "correct" application of the salary tables and, in particular, on the application of the differential derived from the CPI and the guarantee of purchasing power included in the agreement.
They explain that the company "nullifies" what was agreed and applies a 4.58% increase in fixed concepts in the labor groups of administrative staff and agents, when it should be 7.82%, just like the rest of the labor groups and categories.
The same sources indicate that if an agreement is not reached with the company, the strikes will extend to all weekends until the end of the year.
Groundforce, Globalia group's 'handling' operator, obtained 12 licenses in the latest award for Aena's ground assistance service, in September 2023: Madrid, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Alicante, Málaga, Gran Canaria, Valencia, Ibiza, Bilbao, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and for air cargo in Zaragoza.
Menzies, from the Kuwaiti group Agility, was awarded in that tender the ramp and passenger services in Barcelona, Palma Mallorca, Malaga, Alicante, Gran Canaria, Tenerife South and Tenerife North.
