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Wales Online
17 hours ago
- Business
- Wales Online
Tourists warned they face chaos on Spain's island holiday hotspots
Tourists warned they face chaos on Spain's island holiday hotspots The disruptioncould last through the peak holiday season Holidaymakers on a beach in Ibiza (Image: Getty Images ) Tourists face potential disruption with a threatened mass walk out by 180,000 hospitality workers. Popular holiday islands. Mallorca, Ibiza and Menorca will be affected by the strikes, which could go on for weeks. Union bosses left a meeting about pay and working conditions, calling hospitality bosses' offer of an 11 per cent pay increase not sufficient. Discussions about cutting the working week to 35 hours also stalled after employers "categorically" turned down that suggestion, reports The Sun. UGT union spokesman Jose Garcia Relucio was reported as describing the offer as 'more crumbs'. He accused hotel bosses of expecting workers to survive on tips. He said after walking out of today's meeting: 'We'd come here to negotiate to improve the conditions of service industry workers, not to worsen them.' Many hospitality staff will walk out on July 10 unless a last-minute agreement is reached between employers and unions. The strikes could go on through the month with July 18, 19, 25, 31 confirmed protest days. José García Relucio, General Secretary of the Federation of Services, Mobility and Consumption of UGT, said the talks "could not have gone worse". He said employers were being inflexible on pay. Article continues below Javier Vich, President of the Hotel Business Federation of Mallorca, said it was the fault of unions for not making a compromise. He said employers were making all the "necessary efforts" to "reach a fair" agreement with hospitality workers. Unions want a 16 per cent rise in pay for workers over three years. The strike comes during peak tourist season in the Spanish holiday islands. There have already been protests across Spain with hundreds of locals taking to the streets demanding an end to mass tourism. Thousands of people came out on the streets in the Canary Islands in May. There were protests on islands, including Tenerife, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura. Protesters used the slogan: "The Canary Islands are not for sale, they are loved and defended". Some banners read: "The Canary Islands have a limit and so does our patience" and "Enough is enough!" Article continues below
Metro
19 hours ago
- Business
- Metro
British holidaymakers in Spain face summer of strikes by hospitality staff
British holidaymakers may find their getaways thrown into chaos amid a summer of planned strike action at popular Spanish destinations. Hospitality sector workers in the Balearic Islands have threatened to walk out from July 10 after talks broke down over pay increases. A total of 180,000 workers in hotels, restaurants and other tourist spots – a majority of those employed in the sector on the islands – are set to strike. It comes amid a wave of other industrial action as well as protests against over-tourism across Spain. The main flash point in negotiations with unions is a 17 per cent pay rise demanded by unions. So far workers have been offered a salary bump of 8.5 per cent. The latest announcement of strike action comes despite an eleventh-hour deal reached with hotel workers to avoid a walkout in four of the Canary Islands including Tenerife. Further strikes in Majorca, Ibiza and Formentera will affect all bars, restaurants, cafes and night spots may go ahead on July 18, 19, 25 and 31. The UGT union is also demanding several other reforms to working practices, including a 35-hour working week and to increase the duration of seasonal fixed-term contracts from six to nine months a year. UGT spokesperson Jose Garcia Relucio branded concessions made at Thursday's talks as 'more crumbs', MailOnline reported. The union said that despite entering the negotiations to improve conditions for workers, the meeting had ended with several agreed reforms rolled back. However the Majorca Hotel Business Federation blamed UGT for a creating a poor negotiating environment and failing to listen to its reasons for not meeting its demands. Its vice-president, María José Aguiló, said: 'We have reached a point where, despite the fact we have been willing to address the issue of guaranteed employment for fixed-term contracts, they have not listened to our reasons for not raising the proposed [salary] increase.' Holidaymakers have already been disrupted this week after EasyJet cabin crew in Spain went on strike from Wednesday, impacting dozens of flights to popular destinations including Malaga, Barcelona and Alicante. A total of 62 flights were cancelled with the airline to and from Spain on Thursday, the second day of action. More Trending The USO union has not ruled out a further indefinite strike if its demands its members to be paid equal to EasyJet employees in other countries are not met. Earlier this month, thousands marched across Spain to tell Brits to 'go home' amid concerns over unsustainable tourism at favourite holiday spots. A demonstration in Palma de Majorca saw protesters carry placards in front of beleaguered tourists reading: 'Mallorca is not your cash cow… go home' and 'your holidays, our anxiety'. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Europe hit by deadly heatwave with temperatures over 40C in holiday hotspots MORE: Brit at centre of Oldham striker fight in Ibiza pool speaks out MORE: British woman killed walking past Spanish bar when it exploded
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Fresh Spain holiday hell for Irish tourists as 180k staff on popular islands threaten DAYS of strikes & walkouts in July
IRISH tourists jetting off to Spain could face fresh holiday hell after 180,000 hospitality staff threatened a number of strikes and walkouts next month. Hotels, restaurants and clubs in the 4 Mallorca, Ibiza and Menorca will be affected by the strikes Credit: AFP 4 The strikes could persist throughout the month with 18, 19, 25, 31 of July Credit: AFP 4 Unions are demanding a 16 per cent increase in pay for workers over three years Credit: EPA Irish popular hotpots The alert was raised yesterday after union bosses walked out of a meeting about pay and working conditions, calling hospitality bosses' offer of an 11 per cent pay increase insufficient. Talks about reducing the working week to 35 hours were also promptly shut down when employers said they "categorically" rejected this proposal. UGT union spokesman Jose Garcia Relucio described the offer as 'more crumbs' and claimed hotel bosses were expecting workers to survive on tips. Read more in Travel He said: 'We'd come here to negotiate to improve the conditions of service industry workers, not to worsen them.' Unless a last-minute agreement is reached between employers and unions a large chunk of the Balearic island's workforce will down their tools on July 10. The strikes could persist throughout the month with 18, 19, 25, 31 of July being already confirmed as protest days. José García Relucio, General Secretary of the Federation of Services, Mobility and Consumption of UGT, said the talks "could not have gone worse" and condemned employer's inflexibility around pay. MOST READ ON THE IRISH SUN Meanwhile, Javier Vich, President of the Hotel Business Federation of Mallorca, blamed unions for failing to meet a compromise. Moment hardcore anti tourist mob surround Brit tourists in Majorca chanting 'go home' & telling Brit ex-pats to 'go to hell' He added that employers were making all the "necessary efforts" to "reach a fair" agreement with workers. Unions are demanding a 16 per cent increase in pay for workers over three years. The mass walkout will coincide with peak tourist season in the It comes as protests across Spain intensify with hundreds of locals regularly taking to the streets to call for an end to mass tourism. MASS TOURISM PROTESTS Thousands flooded the streets of the Demonstrations took place across the Spanish archipelago's islands, including The march carried the slogan: "The Canary Islands are not for sale, they are loved and defended." Other banners read: "The Canary Islands have a limit and so does our patience" and "Enough is enough!" Spain's anti-mass tourism movement began gaining serious momentum in April 2024 - particularly in popular tourist destinations. Locals have been demanding an end to the problems associated with mass tourism, including pollution, traffic chaos, the lack of affordable housing and low wages for tourism workers. 4 Hotels, restaurants and clubs in the Balearic Islands will be hit by the walkouts which could go on for weeks Credit: Getty
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Brit tourists facing summer of disruption as fresh strikes hit holiday hotspots
British holidaymakers heading to the Balearics this summer could find themselves caught in a storm of strikes and disruption after last-ditch talks between unions and hotel bosses collapsed on Thursday evening. Union leaders have now confirmed a series of walkouts, with the first five-day strike set to begin on July 10. More disruption is planned throughout the month, with additional strikes scheduled for July 18 and 19, July 25, and July 31. The industrial action is expected to affect not only hotels but also restaurants, bars, and nightlife venues across Majorca, Ibiza, and Formentera, throwing summer plans into turmoil for thousands of tourists. More than 180,000 hospitality workers are expected to take part in the action - a mass mobilisation that could cripple the islands' peak holiday season. Confirmation that talks had failed came late last night, after a tense day of negotiations that had initially broken off for a midday lunch break. Hopes of a breakthrough were dashed when union bosses walked out around 6.30pm and immediately announced the strike plan. At the heart of the dispute is a bitter standoff over wages. Workers' representatives had lowered their pay demands to a 16% increase over three years - but employers refused to budge beyond an 11% offer. Hotel bosses had already upped a previous offer to 9.5% earlier this month, but that too was dismissed in talks on June 11, with unions warning then that industrial action was imminent. UGT union spokesman Jose Garcia described the offer as 'more crumbs' and accused hotel owners of expecting workers to survive on tips. After yesterday's failed meeting, he said: 'We'd come here to negotiate to improve the conditions of service industry workers, not to worsen them.' Javier Fich, president of the Majorca Hotel Business Federation, admitted the talks had failed and placed blame squarely on the union side, saying negotiators had been 'too focused' on wages. The federation vice-president Maria Jose Agilo added: 'We regret and condemn the behaviour of the UGT union, which from the start has put on the table a strike threat which doesn't favour a good negotiating climate.' The bad news from the Balearic Islands followed close on the heels of a last-minute deal to avert the threat of hotel strike action in Tenerife and three of the other Canary Islands in the Atlantic archipelago. Union representatives and employers sealed the deal after reaching a wage rise increase agreement.
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Brit tourists face holiday chaos with strikes confirmed for 180,000 hospitality staff throughout July on hotspot islands
Walkouts have already crippled the holiday destinations this month HOLS CHAOS Brit tourists face holiday chaos with strikes confirmed for 180,000 hospitality staff throughout July on hotspot islands STRIKES have been confirmed for 180,000 hospitality staff throughout July on a number of hotspot islands. Hotels, restaurants and night-life venues in the Balearic Islands will be hit by the walkouts, sparking chaos for thousands of British tourists. Mallorca, Ibiza and Menorca which are usually bursting with holidaymakers will be affected by the strikes. The alert was raised on June 26 after unions walked out of meeting where issues of pay and working conditions were being discussed. The UGT union rejected the 11 per cent wage increase offer, calling it insufficient. The strikes are expected to persist across the whole of the month with 18, 19, 25, 31 July confirmed as protest days. José García Relucio, General Secretary of the Federation of Services, Mobility and Consumption of UGT, said the talks "could not have gone worse" and condemned employers' inflexibility around pay. Meanwhile, Javier Vich, President of the Hotel Business Federation of Mallorca, blamed unions for failing to meet a compromise. He added that employers were making all the "necessary efforts" to "reach a fair" agreement with workers. Unions are demanding a 16 per cent increase in pay for workers but hospitality bosses have insisted 11 per cent is already big enough.
