Barcelona: Avis customer service staff on indefinite strike against 132 job cuts, from 4 May 2026

Staff at Avis's international customer service centre in Barcelona, based at the World Trade Center offices, began an indefinite strike on 4 May 2026 against a collective redundancy plan (ERE) affecting 132 of the roughly 340 employees — about 40 per cent of the workforce.

The centre handles customer service before, during and after vehicle rentals. CGT says the company is not making losses — the Spanish subsidiary closed the last financial year in profit — and that the real purpose is to move the work to Bulgaria, Poland and the Philippines. The union also alleges that some services were transferred before the plan was formally notified to the works council or the labour authority, and that productivity at the Barcelona site had not fallen, with several departments busier than before.

Workers picketed outside the company's offices from the first day, and the Catalan department of business and labour was notified. The strike was called to run until there was real movement in the consultation period, which under Spanish law is limited to 30 days and set the terms for severance and any reduction in the number of jobs cut.

Strike action is recorded through the end of May 2026. No agreement was announced publicly.