Workers with Iberia Handling at Palma airport are being flown to and from Ibiza every day. The reasons for doing so are the increased demand at Ibiza airport and the difficulties with hiring staff in Ibiza. These difficulties are attributed, by the UGT union, to the lack of affordable accommodation in Ibiza.
The workers leave Palma first thing in the morning and return on the last flights operated by Air Nostrum. The number of workers varies per day, but at weekends it can be up to ten.
Airline traffic in Ibiza is surpassing the forecast for the summer, with weekends being especially busy. Prior to the season, Iberia had attempted to hire temporary staff for handling services - attending to passengers, baggage and so on. But José Cambrón of UGT says that a combination of low wages and difficulties with accommodation meant that living in Ibiza was not feasible.
Various handling services in Ibiza are overstretched, according to the union. At present, Iberia Handling has sixty full-time and two hundred temporary staff. "They need more personnel, so this is why workers are going from Palma. This has never happened before," states the union.