As part of a salary dispute, unions have called on EasyJet cabin employees based in Spain to strike for nine days in July.
The strike will exacerbate passenger problems as airlines struggle to meet demand following the lifting of Covid restrictions.
Because of labor shortages at Gatwick, EasyJet has already had to cancel thousands of flights this summer. Meanwhile, Heathrow Airport continues to clear heaps of baggage that forced 5,000 flights to be canceled on Monday.
EasyJet and the Spanish union USO have been in talks about cabin crew wages since February, but the talks have reached a “deadlock,” according to the union.
It has announced a series of 24-hour strikes that would take place throughout July, potentially affecting British tourists.
Union members working in El Prat, Malaga, and Palma de Mallorca will strike on July 1-3, 15-17, and 29-31, according to the union.
According to Miguel Galan, USO general secretary for EasyJet Malaga, flight attendants demand a 40% raise in their base salary. He claims that the compensation of Spanish cabin crews is not comparable to that of their French or German colleagues.
According to the union, the basic wage for EasyJet’s Spanish crew is €950 per month (£816), excluding incentives and extra pay.
However, Mr. Galan added that the union, which claims to represent 80 percent of the 450 EasyJet employees in Spain, is hopeful that an agreement can be made to prevent the strikes during a meeting with management on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for EasyJet has been contacted for comment.
Striking is a fundamental right in Spain, according to the European Trade Union Institute, and strikes affecting a single company can be initiated by unions, worker representatives, or employees themselves.
UK holidaymakers have seen flight delays in recent months as airlines and airports struggle to cope with rising demand following Covid lockdowns that resulted in job cuts.
After Gatwick Airport announced that it would restrict the number of flights during the peak summer period due to manpower shortages, EasyJet said on Monday that it would cancel flights between July and September.
Around 30 planes with up to 5,000 passengers were also canceled at Heathrow Airport on Monday owing to baggage-handling issues.
Heathrow said on Tuesday that the backlog, which the BBC knows to be in the thousands of suitcases, was “cleaning up.”
According to a spokesman, the baggage system has been “back up and running” since the weekend, and “bags are being sent to their destinations.”
