Security controls at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport faced delays as security personnel employed by Trablisa, a private contractor employed to provide security at the airport, went on strike. This is an indefinite, full-day strike, over work saturation and the lack of an agreement on improved working conditions, including about 800 staff, including checkpoint workers.
The Delegation of the Government in the Community of Madrid set minimum services at 100% for the strike, according to EL PAÍS. “Indefinite and full-time,” unions said. Staff said their work was at saturation and demanded pay rises and specific compensation, including a Madrid bonus for all workers at the airport.
By mid-morning, queues stretched to terminal entrances. At 9 a.m. local time, the security wait reached about 95 minutes. “When I talk about kilometre-long queues to get through security checks at Terminal 4, I’m not exaggerating,” one user said, according to a report by The Sun.
Spain’s airports and air navigation authority, Aena, warned of possible delays and apologized on its social media channels for the inconvenience, and said it was working to reduce disruptions. Airlines urged passengers to arrive earlier to avoid setbacks at an airport that handles more than 1,100 daily flights.
Trablisa requested Madrid’s Mediation and Arbitration authorities declare the strike “illegal and abusive,” arguing it failed to meet legal and formal requirements and violated the duty of social peace derived from previous agreements. The company announced it would file a lawsuit on the same grounds. “This is a decision of maximum relevance that underscores the essentiality of guaranteeing security and control in a critical infrastructure,” the company said.
The strike came as passenger volumes at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport far exceeded those of other Spanish airports, recalled Alejandro Corredera Arriaga, a speaker for the Trablisa security personnel.
The preparation of this article relied on a news-analysis system.