01 Sep 2004 -
Ryan-Be-Fair

5 May 2005

At the end of April, Spanish unions CC.OO. and UGT succeeded in signing an important pre-agreement document with the Spanish ground handling employers' organisation, which includes Iberia, Eurohandling and Ineuropa (among others). This document does not only include certain terms and conditions for workers, but also guarantees that these terms and conditions are to be kept in place in cases where one company is sold to another. It is also a “transfer of workers guarantee”, as from now on when a transfer of undertakings takes place - even partially - the transferred staff will be granted the same original conditions. Due to how the system works in Spain, the regulation is applicable to all ground handling companies operating in Spanish airports - no matter whether they are affiliated to the previously mentioned employers' organisation or not.

This victory makes it impossible for any company to escape this collective agreement as it applies across the board to all ground handling companies. This includes Ryanair, which is now also subjected to the entire document, protecting the rights of workers. This is because the national aviation authority (aeropuertos espanoles y navegacion aerea, AENA) has agreed to get involved in the ruling of this agreement. From now on, the new call of tenders in Spain will include that “every new tender, even for self-handling, will have to accept the enforcement of this agreement to be recognised as a true competitor to the post”.

"The next step", says José Antonio Herraéz, Civil Aviation General Secretary of Comisiones Obreras (CC.OO.) ”is to sign and enforce this pre-agreement. Once this is done, the same path can be followed for cabin crew in Spain in the future. No worker should be forced to undercut another worker's working conditions, and we will make sure this cannot happen in Spain."