Europan aerospace company Airbus has suspended plans to require white-collar employees to work from the office four days a week, following months of union opposition and a series of strikes, particularly across its Spanish facilities.
The aerospace giant had planned to reduce remote work from the current average of two days a week to just one day starting in September. Managers have now been advised that employees can retain their existing hybrid arrangements, effectively putting the new mandatory limit on hold.
The reversal follows industrial action that began in Spain in July, alongside union protests in France and Britain. In Spain, around 40 percent of Airbus’s 14,000 workers have participated in strikes over teleworking, transportation, paid leave and wages, according to unions. Three Spanish unions have also called for a three-hour stoppage to vote on a longer strike.
The intensity of the protests rattled Airbus management, with workers’ resistance prompting questions within the company’s leadership over how the return-to-office policy was being handled. Despite the disruption, Airbus said production and deliveries have not been affected, as the industrial action has largely involved white-collar and ancillary functions.
Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury had launched a high-profile campaign to increase employees’ physical presence at work. In a June message to staff, Faury argued that remote working had been necessary during the COVID-19 pandemic but that Airbus now needed greater face-to-face interaction to facilitate knowledge-sharing and collaboration.
“I count on all of you to support this,” Faury said at the time.
Airbus subsequently softened its position following employee resistance. A company spokesperson said: “Our objective remains the same: we aim for increased on-site presence to ensure better collective efficiency, knowledge transfer and faster decision-making.”
“However, effective change requires listening to our people. Based on employee feedback, we have decided to implement this transition more gradually.”
The dispute comes as Airbus faces pressure to recruit and retain workers amid growing demand for aircraft and preparations for new products. French unions estimate that between 25 and 33 percent of Airbus employees have joined the company within the past three years, while tens of thousands of workers have left the aerospace industry since the pandemic.
Unions have argued that maintaining flexible working arrangements is important for recruitment, particularly as younger workers increasingly prioritize work-life balance. The issue has also exposed longstanding tensions within Airbus’s Spanish operations over their position within the European aerospace giant.
For now, the protests have secured workers’ existing two-day remote-work allowance.
