Rejection of the pre-agreement

Five unions (UGT, CGT, SIPA, ATP, UTIL) have rejected the pre-agreement signed by CCOO with Airbus management on Friday 17 July. They will begin procedures to call an indefinite strike from 24 August, after the current stoppage ends on 31 July. The plants close for holidays during the first three weeks of August, so the strike will resume when they reopen. CCOO, the majority union with 35% representation, will put the pre-agreement to a vote on Thursday 23 July, but other unions consider it unlikely to pass.

The pre-agreement details

The deal includes a global salary revision of 12% over the agreement's term: a 5% increase in January 2026 and another 5% in April 2027. It also maintains teleworking, adds an Individual Salary Review (RSI) of 0.5% and a 0.5% for promotions in each of those years, plus an IPC-linked review clause. However, the dissenting unions argue the salary increase is not directly tied to the IPC and want a written guarantee of two teleworking days per week.

“The pre-agreement reflects all the workforce's demands contained in the proposal approved by its members, guaranteeing the improvement of purchasing power, maintaining teleworking under the same conditions, providing security to the Space workforce, or making vacations more flexible.”

Impact on production

The strike, which began on 1 July at the Getafe plant and spread to all Spanish factories including Seville and Cádiz, has reduced activity to a minimum. This is affecting delivery deadlines agreed with clients and suppliers. The current collective agreement expires in 2027, and it is unusual for workers to seek to modify a current agreement.

Next steps

Airbus Spain had given unions a 24-hour deadline on Monday 20 July to evaluate the pre-agreement. With the rejection, the five unions will start the formal strike call process in the coming days. The indefinite strike is set to begin on 24 August, unless a new agreement is reached before then.