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Britons could see their Portugal holidays delayed or cancelled at the end of August as civil aviation workers from Portugal’s Civil Aviation Workers’ Union (SINTAC) and the Commercial Aviation Staff Union (SQAC) are planning industrial action between August 19 to August 21.

Airport workers including ground handlers, cabin crew, security staff and fire services are planning to strike for three days.

The industrial action, which will take place in different airports across Portugal, could cause travel chaos and severely affect those visiting the country.

According to the union, employees will strike this month if their demands for better working conditions and higher wages aren’t met.

The union SINTAC explained this could affect all 10 airports in Portugal run by ANA airports authority.

The decision to strike comes after the union rejected ANA’s proposed conditions which reportedly included a salary reduction of 30 percent.

The Portuguese aviation union said it “would be wise to avoid flying” to Portugal on the affected dates.

“Only by doing this [the strike] can we achieve what the company has been missing for a long time: social stability, respect for the rights of workers and, fundamentally, for people,” the unions added.

Airport workers in Portugal planning to strike is the latest in an ongoing number of walkouts in the travel sector this summer.

In Spain, Ryanair began its strike on August 8 which is expected to take place every week, from Monday to Thursday.

The Ryanair strike in Spanish airports is planned to last 24 hours but could continue for weeks, according to union Unión Sindical Obrera.

The affected airports include Barcelona, Malaga, Alicante, Seville and Palma de Majorca.

A Ryanair spokesperson said: “Ryanair expects that these latest threatened strikes, which involve only a handful of our Spanish cabin crew, will have zero impact on our Spanish flights or schedules in August or September.

“The vast majority of Ryanair’s Spanish cabin crew are represented by the CCOO union who have already reached a labour agreement with Ryanair which covers most of our Spanish cabin crew.”

The union said: “The flight crew members receive the support of the passengers, they understand their motives, even if it is a nuisance to have their flight cancelled.

“They have the solution in hand, which is to sit down and negotiate.”

Ryanair told Express.co.uk: “Ryanair has recently reached an agreement with the main Spanish cabin crew union (CCOO) on pay, rosters and allowances for its Spanish cabin crew. “

“Ryanair operates over 3,000 daily flights (almost 100,000 per month).

“Less than one percent of these flights have been affected by Spanish cabin crew disruptions.

“Ryanair expects minimal (if any) disruption to its schedules, even on days when these minority unions USO/SITCPLA are holding their ineffective and poorly supported actions.”

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