Travel is set to be heavily impacted by industrial action during the busy festive period this year.
Rail and aviation unions are threatening strikes throughout December and January across Europe. It’s likely to cause disruption as people attempt to get home for the holidays.
So where are strikes taking place in Europe this Christmas?
International rail services: Eurostar strikes over Christmas
Eurostar strikes on 16 and 18 December have been called off to give union members time to vote on a new pay offer.
More than 100 Eurostar security staff are still set to strike on 22 and 23 December in a dispute over wages. They are currently in talks, and if the dispute is not resolved, next week’s strikes will go ahead as planned.
The RMT union says industrial action will “severely affect” trains. Eurostar and Mitie, the company that employs the security staff, says it will update passengers with any impact to services.
What strikes are happening in France this Christmas?
Train conductors and ticket collectors in France are threatening to strike because, according to Limon, they are “not considered in the same way train drivers are, even though we work three weekends a month and sleep away from home ten nights a month.”
They are seeking higher salaries and for bonuses to be taken into account in pension calculations.
Train conductors and ticket collectors have filed notice threatening to strike 23-26 December and 30 December-2 January. However, whether these go ahead is dependent on negotiations. Meetings are planned from 8-22 December.
Sud-Rail union has also filed for nationwide strikes from 15-19 December after pay negotiations with SNCF failed. The walkout is set to start just one day before the school holidays begin in France.
The union said that the monthly bonus offering from the rail operator «border on contempt». Sud-Rail called on signal operators to «send in mass» their declaration of intent to strike but they are the only union to call for action across France.
Cabin crew for Air France have also issued a provisional notice for strikes between 22 December and 2 January. Whether these walkouts will go ahead is dependent on pay negotiations.
What strikes are happening in Italy this Christmas?
From 12-16 December, workers across Italy are participating in strikes. Most will participate for just one of the five days to protest the Meloni government’s draft budget.
It will affect different regions of the country and sectors on different days. It’s worth checking rail services in the region where you are travelling as local services are likely to be affected at some point during the week.
What strikes are happening in Portugal this Christmas?
After strikes by TAP Portugal cabin crew took place on 8-9 December, leading to 360 cancelled flights, more are planned over Christmas.
Exact dates have not yet been announced but the National Union of Civil Aviation Personnel agreed to schedule a minimum of five days of action before 31 January.
What strikes are happening in Spain this Christmas?
USO and SITCPLA union members from Ryanair cabin crew based in Spain have been on strike for five months.
The action started on 8 August and will run until 7 January, from Monday to Thursday every week. It’s likely to affect journeys from airports including Alicante, Barcelona, Madrid and Malaga.
But Ryanair has said it doesn’t expect that the strike will cause that much disruption for passengers.
Vueling cabin crew who are members of the Stavla union are also taking part in prolonged walkouts. Strikes are taking place on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays and public holidays from 1 November to 31 December.
The airline says that the industrial action will cause minimal disruption for passengers.
Spain’s leading trade union CCOO has also called for 10,000 workers at airport operator Aena to strike over Christmas due to pay. They are calling for a productivity bonus, which staff didn’t receive during the COVID-19 pandemic, to be reinstated.
The planned dates are 22, 23, 30 and 31 December as well as 6 and 8 January.
«We will continue if the conflict is not resolved, during the first quarter of 2023, including Easter,» said Francisco José Casado Moreno, CCOO general secretary for Aena.
Pilots at Spanish regional airline Air Nostrum have announced strikes over the festive period. They are calling for better working conditions and wage increases.
The planned dates are 23, 26, 27, 29 and 30 December as well as 2 and 3 January when pilots will walk out for 24 hours.
Spanish law, however, forces workers to provide minimum services if their strike action causes serious disruption to the public and freedom of movement.
What strikes are happening in the UK this Christmas?
Rail strikes are taking place in the UK throughout December and into January. The Rail, Maritime and Transport workers union (RMT) announced that its 40,000 members will walk out for eight days during the festive season.
The dates of the strike will be 16-17 December as well as 3-4 and 6-7 January. Nearly every train operator will be impacted as RMT members at National Rail and 14 train companies go on strike.
RMT has also announced that workers will walk out from 6pm on 24 December until 27 as the row over pay escalates.
Just one in five trains is expected to run on strike days and on the days either side — known as ‘shoulder days’ — services will run at around 60 per cent of normal.
It’s likely that timetables will be adjusted to cope with the walkout so make sure to check if your train is still running before you travel.
Hundreds of baggage handlers at Heathrow Airport are also walking out over the Christmas period. They are on strike for 72 hours from 4am on 16 and 29 December. Staff from 10 airlines including Qantas, Aer Lingus, Lufthansa and TAP Portugal across Terminals 2, 3 and 4 are taking part in the strike.
The Unite union expects that it will cause some disruption for passengers in the run-up to the busy festive period. But it’s unlikely to be widespread with neither British Airways — which operates half of all Heathrow flights — or Virgin Atlantic affected.
Members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Union, which represents Border Force staff, have also voted for a strike over Christmas.
Staff will take part in industrial action for eight days from 23-26 December and from 28-31 December. Passport checks at Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Glasgow, Cardiff and Birmingham airports as well as Newhaven port will be affected.
