Little disruption on 1st day of strike at Barcelona airport

There was little disruption to travelers on the first day of the indefinite strike called by security staff at Barcelona's El Prat airport on Monday.

Local media reported that the opening day of the indefinite strike, a day in which there will be 500 departures and an estimated 90,000 passengers, has seen shorter queues than on the days of partial stoppages, with a wait of just 10 minutes to pass through security controls.

The strike went ahead after workers employed by private contractor Eulen on Sunday voted to again reject the terms offered by the company in order to end a conflict, which has already caused long queues during five days of partial stoppages.

In the face of possible further chaos and long passenger queues, the Spanish government decided to use Civil Guards to work alongside security staff in checking luggage and boarding cards of departing passengers.

The strike committee has strongly criticized the government decision, saying it "violated" the right to strike.

"Today the airport is full of Civil Guards. There are no queues and people have forgotten the reasons for the strike, which are the working conditions of workers who earn an average of 900 euros a month and who don't have time to even go to the toilet and who have fainted because they have no time to eat," said strike committee spokesman Juan Carlos Gimenez.

Meanwhile, the Spanish government defended the decision to use the Civil Guards, claiming it was for motives of "security and public safety."

Workers with Eulen have asked for a pay rise of 15 payments of 250 euros a month, while the company had offered 12 payments of 200 euros.