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Airbus is facing fresh disruption to its aircraft production after workers across most of its Spanish operations launched a strike over what unions say are worsening working conditions, adding to the European planemaker’s growing labour challenges at a time when it is racing to meet annual delivery targets.
The industrial action, which began after a strike call by the Independent Union of Aviation Professionals (SIPA) on July 1, is expected to continue until the end of July. The protest first gathered momentum at Airbus’ Getafe facility near Madrid before spreading to other sites across the country.
The unions have accused Airbus of failing to keep wages in line with inflation while tightening workplace policies. According to SIPA, workers are protesting against below-inflation salary increases, stricter attendance monitoring and new rules requiring office employees to spend more time working from company premises instead of remotely.
The strike comes at a sensitive time for Airbus, which is already under pressure to deliver 870 commercial aircraft this year despite ongoing supply-chain bottlenecks that have slowed production across the global aerospace industry.
The company has also faced labour unrest in France in recent weeks after reducing the number of remote working days allowed for white-collar employees, highlighting broader tensions over workplace policies within the aerospace giant.
Spain plays a critical role in Airbus’ global manufacturing network. The company employs more than 14,000 people across eight facilities located in Madrid, Castile-La Mancha and Andalusia. These plants manufacture military transport aircraft as well as components for commercial jets and satellites.
Among them, the Getafe facility is one of Airbus’ largest production centres worldwide and is central to several commercial and defence programmes.
While Spain’s largest Airbus union, CCOO, has not joined the current strike, it has warned that the dispute could escalate sharply if negotiations fail.
In a statement posted on Facebook, the union said it would launch an indefinite strike from September 7 unless an agreement is reached with management over workers’ demands.
CCOO warned that prolonged industrial action during the final months of the year could severely disrupt Airbus’ production schedules and aircraft deliveries.
“If no agreement is reached, delivery schedules will be seriously affected by the strike and the industrial action taking place during the final four months of the year at all Airbus Spain sites,” the union said.
The latest labour dispute adds another challenge for Airbus as the company works to increase aircraft output amid strong airline demand. Aircraft manufacturers worldwide continue to struggle with shortages of engines, structural components and skilled labour, making production schedules increasingly difficult to maintain.
Any prolonged disruption in Spain, a key manufacturing hub for Airbus, could complicate the company’s efforts to achieve its annual delivery goal and fulfil customer orders on time.
With inputs from agencies.
