Spanish employees of Airbus SE resumed an indefinite strike on Tuesday after rejecting the company’s latest wage and working conditions proposal during mediation last week. Participation reached approximately 90% of eligible workers, according to union representatives, following assembly votes across company units in Spain.
The action marks a resumption of labor unrest that saw 22 days of union protests in July. The three Spanish unions involved—UGT, CGT and a third entity—represent roughly 40% of Airbus’s approximately 14,000 employees in the country, according to French unions tracking the dispute. Airbus operates eight facilities in Spain, producing military transport planes, commercial aircraft components and satellites.
Workers cited the absence of concrete financial commitments and timeframes in Airbus’s proposal as the primary reason for rejecting it. Key grievances include demands for wage adjustments tied to inflation, the restoration of remote work arrangements previously reduced to an average of two days per week, and improved medical leave benefits. The unions also highlighted unresolved issues such as vacation time and flexible scheduling.
Airbus has responded by freezing planned hiring in Spain for the duration of the strike. While the company stated last week that administrative and support disruptions had not yet affected production, union representatives warned that the renewed stoppage has already slowed both military and commercial manufacturing lines. They added that the ongoing disruption will make it harder to meet Airbus’s annual delivery target of 870 aircraft.
A new mediation meeting is scheduled for Thursday, though no immediate resolution is expected given the depth of the disagreements. The strike follows a pattern of escalating labor action that began with July’s prolonged protests and reflects broader pressures on European aerospace firms amid inflation and supply chain challenges.
