Spanish high-speed operator Iryo and the CGT union reached a late-night agreement on 4 December that suspends the four-day strike planned for 5–8 December—one of Spain’s busiest travel periods. The union secured a 2026 pay-rise package and a transport allowance for crew, maintenance and control-centre staff, although the figures fall short of its initial 12 % demand.
The walk-out had already caused dozens of cancellations during teaser strikes on 25–27 November and threatened to disrupt 150,000 seats over the Constitution Day “puente”, when millions of Spaniards travel domestically or connect to flights out of Madrid-Barajas. Iryo—owned by Trenitalia, Air Nostrum and Globalvia—said it will gradually reinstate services covered by minimum-service orders and aims to run a full schedule by 6 December.
![Iryo calls off December rail strike after last-minute pay deal, averting holiday travel chaos]()
For corporate travel managers, the deal removes the immediate need to re-route passengers onto Renfe or Ouigo services, but residual delays are likely as rolling-stock and crew rotations normalise. Travellers with intermodal itineraries—particularly those connecting to long-haul flights—should still allow extra buffer time through 7 December. Ticket-change penalties remain waived until 10 December.
The dispute also highlights rising wage pressure in Spain’s liberalised rail market. Both Renfe and Ouigo have open collective-bargaining rounds in early 2026, and further stoppages cannot be ruled out. Mobility teams should add rail-strike alerts to disruption dashboards and review flexible-fare policies for holiday periods.
The walk-out had already caused dozens of cancellations during teaser strikes on 25–27 November and threatened to disrupt 150,000 seats over the Constitution Day “puente”, when millions of Spaniards travel domestically or connect to flights out of Madrid-Barajas. Iryo—owned by Trenitalia, Air Nostrum and Globalvia—said it will gradually reinstate services covered by minimum-service orders and aims to run a full schedule by 6 December.
For corporate travel managers, the deal removes the immediate need to re-route passengers onto Renfe or Ouigo services, but residual delays are likely as rolling-stock and crew rotations normalise. Travellers with intermodal itineraries—particularly those connecting to long-haul flights—should still allow extra buffer time through 7 December. Ticket-change penalties remain waived until 10 December.
The dispute also highlights rising wage pressure in Spain’s liberalised rail market. Both Renfe and Ouigo have open collective-bargaining rounds in early 2026, and further stoppages cannot be ruled out. Mobility teams should add rail-strike alerts to disruption dashboards and review flexible-fare policies for holiday periods.
