The negotiations to end the dispute at Barcelona-El Prat airport could turn the corner sooner than expected. In a meeting this morning between the public airport operator Aena, the security contractor Eulen, the striking security guards and the Catalan department of Labour, the Catalan government made an offer the workers are now considering.
The Catalan government has become an active participant in the negotiations and has proposed a 200 euro salary increase to Eulen and its workers; more than the 155€ that the company is offering (which would mean an average increase of 7.70%), but less than the 350€ that the workers are asking for (which would be, on average, a 30% increase).
Additionally, the department of Labour has suggested the addition of a fifth guard per security queue, which would mean the addition of approximately 100 new workers.
Fourth meeting
After today's, there have now been four meetings held to attempt to find a solution to the dispute that is leading to long queues to get through the security gates. This Tuesday's meeting brings some hope that there could be a proposal on the table to avoid the indefinite strikes planned for next Monday.
In yesterday's meeting, Juan Carlos Giménez, adviser to the strike committee, explained that the negotiations were stretching out because it was not easy to reach an agreement but that he saw possibilities. For this reason they decided to gather again this morning.
Another morning of queues
Even though there was no strike planned for today, the airport has remained crowded. Queues started to form very early and grew until 6 in the morning, although at least they then shrank quickly. Around 9 in the morning they started to grow again, following the pattern of the days when there were strikes. However, they have also been intermittent and, little by little, the waiting time has returned to its usual 20 minutes.
The presumed cause is an excess of caution; many passengers, knowing about the chaos that has grown around the airport's security checks, are so careful that they arrive up to four hours before their flight.