An urgent warning has been issued for those hoping to travel to Tenerife during the Easter break. The Foreign Office has issued an alert for industrial action planned across the hospitality sector in Tenerife over the Easter bank holiday weekend.
Warning travellers about the action, the Foreign Office recommends checking your operator’s advice and following the guidelines laid down by authorities if you are due to travel to Tenerife. Across the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, hospitality workers have begun protesting outside hotels as part of a planned two-day strike that started today and coinciding with the peak of Easter holiday season.
The Foreign Office warning states: “Industrial action is planned in the hospitality sector in Tenerife over the Easter bank holiday weekend. If you’re due to travel to Tenerife this weekend, check your operator’s advice and follow the advice of authorities.”
Scheduled for today and tomorrow, the industrial action affects around 80,000 hotel industry employees in Tenerife, El Hierro, La Gomera, and La Palma. The strike was actioned after the latest proposal from the employers’ associations was turned down, despite mediation efforts led by Fernando Clavijo, the President of the Canary Islands.
The proposed agreement which was rejected featured a 6 per cent wage increase, the implementation of adjustable beds, and the formation of a negotiation table by April 30 to address further labour concerns. Union representatives, however, found the offer lacking, resulting in the continuation of the strike.
Meanwhile, the province of Las Palmas – which includes Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura – managed to avoid strike action by securing an agreement that grants workers a €650 (£558) bonus and a 9 per cent salary increase over the span of 12 months.
Although the government of the Canary Islands has imposed minimum service levels – ranging from 15 to 25 per cent – for essential services such as reception, maintenance, food services, and cleaning, the unions have criticised these requirements, arguing they infringe upon the fundamental right to strike.
Tenerife experiences high tourist footfall during the Easter break, and the strike will pose significant challenges for the hospitality sector. Union leaders have urged employers to present a more favourable proposal to resolve the dispute, expressing their willingness to resume negotiations.
Travellers visiting the Spanish island over this period have been advised to anticipate possible disruptions to hotel services and been told to keep up to date with the latest developments.
This strike comes amidst warnings of travel chaos and major disruptions for millions of British holidaymakers this summer. A Spanish protest leader has exclusively told The Mirror that fears are mounting over extreme action being taken by militant groups, including potential blockades at airports, beaches, and other hotspots as anti-tourist sentiment reaches fever pitch in Spain.
The activist, dubbed ‘Lucas’ for privacy, issued a stark warning about the possible escalation of demonstrations if their concerns continue to be dismissed. He said: “The general mood is one of growing frustration, indignation, and despair. People feel that they are being expelled from their own land and that their fundamental rights are not being protected. People have had enough.”
He further added: “There is a widespread feeling that the situation has reached a breaking point and that it is necessary to act urgently and decisively to reverse it. The patience of the citizenry is running out. We are not going to stand idly by while we see our homes and our lives threatened by speculation and an uncontrolled tourism model.”
Anti-tourist sentiment is on the rise in Spain, with a jarring sign warning to ‘kill a tourist’ surfacing in Tenerife earlier this year. Footage showing the ominous graffiti being daubed on the wall was shared online by an outfit known as Islas de Resistencia, which labels itself “a project to recover the memory of social movements in the Canary Islands.”
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