Iberia reaches agreement with cabin crew

Iberia (IB) and unions representing flight attendants reached an accord, averting a strike to protest the possible impact on their jobs due to Iberia Express. The 4,000 cabin crew had planned to walk out Feb. 3, 6, 10 and 13.

However, the airline’s pilots are still moving ahead with their industrial action Friday and Monday (ATW Daily News, Jan. 25).

The airline on Wednesday said management reached an agreement with the SITCPLA, CTA, UGT and CCOO unions representing the airline's flight attendants on a two-year extension of employment guarantees and the transformation of some temporary contract into permanent ones.

Under the agreement, IB will extend its employment guarantees through Dec. 31, 2014, and pledges to extend them for an additional year on the condition that a new collective bargaining agreement will be signed before the end of 2014. The employment guarantees apply to permanent cabin staff and to 108 temporary staff who will be made permanent in 2012. Other temporary cabin staff will get permanent contracts between March 2013 and March 2014.

IB union representatives will submit the agreement to the workers' assemblies for ratification this week.

A similar agreement was concluded last week with two of the unions representing the carrier’s 16,000 ground staff, who threatened to strike two days a week from Feb. 3.