MADRID (Reuters) – Planned strike action by workers at Spanish airport operator Aena around Christmas and New Year has been called off after the company agreed to reinstate an annual bonus, union CCOO said on Thursday.
Workers affiliated to CCOO had planned to strike on Dec. 22, 23, 30 and 31 and on Jan. 5 and Jan. 6 to demand a bonus that was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The company will resume paying an annual bonus in 2023 in two instalments in January and March, the union said.
An Aena spokesperson declined to comment.
Soaring consumer prices have pushed Spanish unions to press sometimes reluctant employers for pay rises, with strike action seen in sectors including fashion retail and airlines.
Unlike other European countries, such as Britain, air travellers in Spain were mostly spared airport chaos last summer as Aena’s furlough scheme during the pandemic allowed it to retain most of its workers, so it didn’t face staff shortages when travel picked up again.
(Reporting by Inti Landauro; Editing by Susan Fenton)