The strike in Ryanair’s groundhandling service at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport will start on August 15, 2025, affecting thousands of passengers in the middle of summer. After months of labor conflict with Azul Handling, the subsidiary in charge of these services, UGT and CGT are calling these strikes because in the words of José Manuel Pérez Grande, Federal Secretary of the Air Union of FeSMC-UGT: “the subsidiary maintains a strategy of precariousness and pressure on the workforce that violates basic labor rights and systematically ignores union demands”.
The protests will take place on August 15, 16 and 17 -coinciding with the Assumption long weekend- and will continue every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday until the end of the year, in various time slots: from 05:00 to 09:00, from 12:00 to 15:00 and from 21:00 to 23:59.
The main cause of the strike lies in the penalties imposed on employees who refuse to work overtime, the abuse of temporary contracts and the lack of labor improvements, according to the unions. UGT demands the withdrawal of sanctions, greater labor guarantees and compliance with agreements for the more than 3,000 workers affected throughout Spain.
How you will be affected if you are flying on those days and how to complain
Passengers could suffer delays, check-in, boarding and baggage claim incidents, as well as flight cancellations during the strike days. According to European Regulation 261/2004, those affected can claim financial compensation: up to 250 euros for flights of up to 1,500 km, 400 euros for intra-Community flights of more than 1,500 km and 600 euros for international flights of more than 3,500 km.
In addition, the reimbursement of the ticket and the expenses incurred by the cancellation are also contemplated, as well as the option of an alternative route or a free change of date if the cancellation occurs less than 14 days in advance.
