Additional strikes at Tenerife South Airport will affect UK passengers
Ground handling staff at Tenerife South Airport, employed by the Menzies group, have announced strike action from next weekend in protest over what they describe as serious and repeated breaches of contractual agreements and working conditions.
The strike, called by the UGT union, will involve 1,500 of the company’s employees on the 16th, 17th, 23rd, 24th, 30th and 31st August, and will affect five major Spanish airports: Barcelona-El Prat, Alicante, Palma de Mallorca, Málaga, and Tenerife South.
Menzies provides ground handling services to several major airlines, including EasyJet, British Airways, Norwegian, Wizz Air, Turkish Airlines, American Airlines, and Emirates.
According to a statement from UGT, staff are protesting over unpaid wages, payroll errors, breaches of employee transfer rights, disorganisation in working hours and shift patterns, chronic understaffing that leads to excessive workloads, and the arbitrary allocation of holidays.
The union also claims that the company has failed to comply with the national ‘handling’ sector agreement, Menzies’ own company agreement, and a sector-wide accord ratified before the Interconfederal Mediation and Arbitration Service (SIMA) in December 2024, which had previously averted strike action.
The planned walkouts fall during one of the busiest periods for tourism in the Canary Islands, raising concerns of potential delays and disruption for passengers. Tour operators and airlines may need to implement contingency measures similar to the complex “Operation Return” seen earlier this summer at Tenerife South, when staffing issues contributed to long queues at passport control for UK travellers.
Passengers travelling through Tenerife South or the other affected airports on the strike days are advised to check with their airline for the latest updates before heading to the airport.
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