The staff of Airbus at its Spanish centres, including Getafe, has voted against the pre-agreement reached by CCOO and SIPA with management. On Monday, the unions will decide whether to maintain or extend the strike.
Airbus workers have said 'no' to the pre-agreement that the major unions, CCOO and SIPA, had reached with the company's management. The vote, held this Friday at the five company centres in Spain —including Getafe, in the Community of Madrid— has undermined the understanding that had been achieved after a long negotiation.
The result has been confirmed by SIPA itself, which stated that 'the referendum among the staff resulted in a no'. The union, which had initiated the strike and then joined the agreement, has admitted that it 'has lost the trust of the workers' and announced that it does not endorse the pre-agreement and is withdrawing from the strike call. Thus, other unions —UGT, CGT, APP, and UTIL— will have to decide whether to continue with the initiative.
From UGT, they have indicated that a decision will be made next Monday. 'The protagonists are the workers,' they have assured. Strictly speaking, what was being voted on was whether to accept the pre-agreement or not, not the strike itself. However, the rejection opens the door for the strike, initially called for the entire month, to continue and even become indefinite starting from August 24, as some unions had already suggested.
The voting took place in an atmosphere of tension and union division. While CCOO and SIPA —which hold a majority in staff representation— defended the pre-agreement, UGT, CGT, APP, and UTIL opposed it and called for the strike to be maintained. The mobilization of workers has been constant in recent days, with demonstrations in several cities on Thursday and a strike that has already impacted production.
The offer that did not convince
The latest offer from management, presented in a marathon negotiating session that lasted until the early hours of Wednesday to Thursday, included a 5% salary increase for 2024 and 2025, plus a 0.5% individual salary review (RSI) and another 0.5% linked to promotions. Additionally, it included a one-off payment of 2,000 euros and review clauses linked to the CPI, with an additional 1% increase for 2028 and 2029, plus another 1% extra in RSI and promotions.
Despite these improvements, workers felt they were insufficient. The staff, composed of around 14,000 employees at the centres in Getafe, Seville, Cádiz, Illescas (Toledo), and Albacete, has been experiencing significant discontent. They believe that while the company is achieving record profits, their labour rights have been diminished in recent years.
The CEO of Airbus, Guillaume Faury, even intervened personally to try to unblock the situation. He committed to going beyond material issues and to opening a listening process at the highest level to regain the trust of the workers. However, the rejection of the pre-agreement demonstrates that distrust remains deep.
What happens now?
With the staff's 'no', the scenario becomes complicated. The unions opposing the pre-agreement —UGT, CGT, APP, and UTIL— will now take the initiative. On Monday, they will meet to decide whether to maintain the strike called until the end of the month and whether to extend it indefinitely from August 24, as they had already announced.
For the workers at the Getafe centre, the most important in the Community of Madrid, uncertainty remains. The strike, which began at the start of the month, has already affected the production of key parts for aeronautical programmes. If it continues, it could have consequences on supply chains and delivery times.
The management of Airbus, for its part, will have to decide whether to improve its offer or wait for the situation to clarify. For now, dialogue seems broken and tension continues to rise. The coming week will be crucial in determining the course of the conflict.
The employees of Airbus in Getafe, as well as those at the other centres, are awaiting the decision on Monday. In the meantime, the strike continues and mobilisations do not cease. The ball is now in the court of the unions that opposed the pre-agreement.
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