Airbus ends mediation with unions in Spain

A on Tuesday, the first strike mediation session — one of the two organised in SIMA — had already ended, after not reaching an agreement with the unions that called for the halt to suspend or stop the strike as a condition for negotiating.

“ Unfortunately, the outcome of this negotiation showed that not all parties are willing to participate and reach a joint agreement at this negotiating table,” the company, quoted by the Spanish EFE agency, said.

Airbus claims that it will continue to work to find a solution for all employees, for the company and for the future of the company in Spain.

The ÚTIL union, one of the three organizers of the strike together with the CGT and the UGT, stated that the three unions, as well as SIPA, did not attend the negotiation forum opened by the company in SIMA, so the process was closed without agreement.

However, the union stressed that it continues to insist on holding a meeting and continuing negotiations, so it had scheduled a meeting with the company this Thursday at 8:30 (local time, less than an hour in Lisbon), although the direction “had refused the meeting”, indicating that they would be scheduled a date as soon as possible.

For its part, the CGT stressed that the representatives of workers on strike fully maintain their willingness to negotiate and demand that Airbus renounce the preconditions, resume the talks immediately and submit a comprehensive proposal that can be democratically assessed by the assemblies.

Sources of CCOO, heard by the EFE, stressed that they conveyed their willingness to move forward in the negotiations and resolve the conflict as soon as possible, “improving the company’s latest proposal and ensuring work volumes and employment in Airbus and aerospace.”.

On Wednesday, the strike committee of Airbus (CGT, UGT and UTIL) announced that it was considering suing the company for “opening parallel negotiating forums”, after the company had closed the mobilization mediation table, to continue negotiations on another one, with the union representatives not linked to the strike (COO, ATP and SIPA), although this table was closed today.

The ÚTIL union denounces the fact that today's SIMA meeting took place at the negotiating table, not with the strike committee, “which violates the right to strike and the company's obligation to negotiate with the strike committee”.

In turn, following the strike in Airbus that has already accumulated more than a month of shutdowns between July and August, the Seville Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Metalworkers (FEMEDE) called on Airbus and the trade unions to “intensify their efforts to reach an agreement as soon as possible to put an end to the labor conflict as soon as possible, on the basis of acceptable and reasonable agreements” and also to “save the auxiliary industry”.

Airbus has about 14,000 workers distributed by the plants of Getafe, Illescas, Albacete, Cadiz and the centers of Tablada and San Pablo in Seville.

The strike in Airbus Spain began on August 25.