Spain’s national airport operator and its air-traffic control counterpart face legal action over unpaid holiday compensation, a dispute that has halted hundreds of individual claims filed by workers.
Union files collective lawsuit, halting individual cases
A union linked to the State Union Coordinator of Aena and Enaire submitted a collective labor conflict to the Audiencia Nacional, Spain’s high court for administrative and labor disputes. The filing suspends all pending individual lawsuits and new claims related to the same issue until the court resolves the collective case.
The conflict stems from holidays the union says were not properly accounted for in the new collective bargaining agreement signed last year. Workers, according to the union, are owed compensation the current agreement fails to provide.
Senator presses government for details
Aniceto Javier Armas González, a senator from El Hierro, asked the government to clarify the dispute’s scope. He requested exact numbers on how many claims were filed at both companies, broken down by location, and how many reached the courts.
Armas proposed that the companies could end the legal battle by recognizing the disputed compensation. In a written question, he asked whether “it would not be better for them to settle and pay all outstanding holidays, whether previously claimed or not, as a goodwill gesture.”
The senator added that a favorable ruling in the collective case could decide the outcome of all suspended individual claims.
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The companies have not commented on the lawsuit or the senator’s proposal. They also did not disclose how many employees might be affected, though union estimates suggest over a thousand workers across multiple sites.
A court victory for the union could force retroactive compensation for holidays dating back to the agreement’s start. Neither company has estimated the potential cost, but such a ruling would likely strain budgets.
The dispute arrives as both operators face pressure to cut costs while maintaining service. Delays and staffing shortages have persisted, especially at Madrid-Barajas, where unions have accused management of ignoring understaffing warnings.
Workers with pending claims must now wait. The collective lawsuit ensures their cases remain frozen until the Audiencia Nacional issues a decision, a process that usually takes months. Some employees have criticized the companies for not addressing the issue during negotiations, forcing legal action instead.
The ruling may shape future labor agreements. A union win could set a standard for how holidays are defined and paid in Spain’s aviation sector, prompting similar demands in other public-sector jobs.