WORKERS in the busy Canaries are joining forces with Spain's mass anti-tourism protesters, as they prepare to take to the streets over Easter.
With over 170,000 tourism workers in the set to strike, business owners about to welcome thousands of tourists are despairing.
Nearly two hundred thousand people are expected to demonstrate on Holy Thursday and Good Friday, April 17 and 18, in all the tourist hotspots, including Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote.
Spain's first anti-tourism protests of the year kicked off with vigour on Saturday, after thousands of .
Protests followed on from a series of.
The scheduled mass walk-out over Easter is being led by major unions, like UGT Canarias and the Canaries' Workers Commissions trade union (CCOO).
They say the profits made by the tourism sector are not reaching staff.
over precarious working conditions.
Following a breakdown of talks, the CCOO union said today: “The last meeting held predicts the end of these negotiations, without an agreement and in the trenches.
“We do not understand the lack of respect for collective bargaining and the disloyalty to it.
“Since 1912 working people have increased their purchasing power by 250%.
“We have also managed in the last 100 years to abolish slavery, not entirely, there are many of us who are still slaves with paychecks.
“Do you really think that with 500 coins you can buy the dignity of the working people of the province?”
Unions say they want to alert holidaymakers to the possible effects of the strike but have asked them not to cancel their plans.
They also say they do not want tourists to change their image of the Canaries as a good holiday destination.
Easter is expected to be busy in the , especially in Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote.
The strike is expected to have a major impact on the running of and on .
By law, the unions do have to provide a minimum service.
Indeed, unions have laughed at suggestions that tourists “have the right” to enjoy three meals a day before any walkouts.
They say they must try and preserve the of hotel workers and provide them with the very best of working conditions.
While the exact wage demands have not been revealed, the unions maintain the need to restore workers' purchasing power – an issue they say has eroded over time and remains unresolved in current negotiations.
“The strike could have a significant impact on the tourism-dependent region during one of the busiest periods of the year,” warns local newsmediaCanarian Weekly.
“However, union representatives maintain that their objective is not to disrupt the holiday season but to ensure that hospitality workers finally receive fair and just recognition for their contribution to the Canary Islands' economic success.”
Head of the CCOO, Borja Suarez said: “This is about taking care of the health of our colleagues, improving work-life balance and improving everyone's lives.”
But employers' associations have raised concerns that the strike action might lead to security issues in hotels.
Business owners say they are worried about how the strike may impact the reputation.
“If the strike ends up being organised and peaceful and does not cause any disruption, there will not be an excessively negative impact on the destination's image,” said a spokesman.
“However, if order is disrupted and more noise made, the feeling of unrest may become greater.”
Many hotels are notifying guests in advance to explain the situation and ask for their understanding.
It is hoped they will not cancel their plans.
“It's clear that it's going to be a rather unpleasant conflict but it will only be for two days,” said the spokesman.
This comes as protesters across on Saturday were urged by anti-tourism activists toto render them unusable.
The main issue addressed at the protest was the lack of affordable homes, which locals say has been caused by the rise in Airbnb rentals and apartments.
An urged holidaymakers to stay away from Spain.
The letter read: “ENOUGH! STAY HOME! We do not need more tourists; in fact, you are the source of our problem. DO NOT COME.”
