ENRAGED hotel workers in Tenerife are set to strike every single week of the summer holidays – in the latest blow to Brit holidaymakers amid complaints of anti-tourism.
Colossal strike action, which will include protests outside major hotel chains, will see Brit tourists face a series of “Black Fridays” in July and August.
Anti-tourism protests have been fuelled by soaring numbers of Brits flying in[/caption]
Thousands of locals march in Gran Canaria, May 18[/caption]
Anti-social behaviour and a large number of tourists have fuelled the anti-tourism movement[/caption]
The strikes were proposed by the main tourism union and are expected to hit the Canary Island‘s capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain.
They are set to begin on July 4.
Union leader Manuel Fitas of the Grassroots Trade Unionists said the action came as employers were yet to agree on a pay rise for hotel staff.
He said the employers had a “stubborn refusal” to discuss salary improvements.
Fitas explained that on May 29, they gave employers a fifteen-day deadline to respond to their demand for a 6.5% salary increase before negotiating a new agreement.
But employers are yet to come to a new agreement.
If confirmed, the nightmare strikes will prove disastrous for thousands of Brit holidaymakers rushing to the popular destination this summer.
Planned for every Friday of July and August, the action is set to hit the tourism industry’s peak summer season.
Brit tourists should expect major disruptions as the unions intend to launch protests right outside the doors of hotels for maximum impact.
Each of the scheduled walkouts and protests will be confirmed on June 16 when the dates are locked in place.
Despite the threat of the devastating strike, the manager of the local employers’ association, Juan Pablo González, said they were “moderately optimistic” of making progress in the talks.
Asked if they would be willing to make an exception to avoid a strike, he confirmed that “we limit everything to the table because that is how collective agreements are negotiated”.
The action comes after similar anti-tourism strikes have unleashed holiday hell for Brits the Canary Islands.
Brits headed to Tenerife over Easter faced nightmarish conditions as hotel and restaurant workers walked out on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Monday, after last-ditch talks to prevent the protests failed.
“The Canary Islands have a limit” movement argues the Canaries’ current economic model is “based on touristification, speculation, inequality and infinite growth in a very limited land”.
According to the Canarian Trade Union Federation, the wealth generated by tourism should be distributed more fairly to improve the labour and wage rights of more than 170,000 tourism workers in the Canaries.
Protesters gather in front of the Sagrada Familia under the slogan – ‘The Canary Islands have a limit’[/caption]
They also demand fairer distribution of tourism revenue to improve life for Canarians – boosting public services like healthcare, affordable housing and transport to fix the current road collapses.
The movement has issued ten key demands, including halting destructive developments, imposing a tourist tax, enforcing a moratorium on new tourist projects, protecting natural areas and stopping sea pollution, among others.
On May 18, thousands of fed-up locals flooded the streets of the Canary Islands in Spain’s third wave of protests against overtourism this year.
Locals across the Canaries say their home has been turned into a playground for tourists.
Demonstrations took place across the Spanish archipelago’s islands, including Tenerife, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura.
Holidaymakers awkwardly watched from the sidelines as the marches progressed through towns.
What is the anti-tourist movement?
Locals are calling for three key measures:
- Tourist moratorium: A freeze on new hotel and holiday rental licences, especially in overcrowded areas, to ease pressure on resources and protect rural and coastal land.
- Ecotax: A tourist tax to fund public services and offset the environmental impact of mass tourism.
- Holiday rental regulation: Stricter controls on platforms like Airbnb and real estate speculation to keep housing affordable for residents.
In Santa Cruz alone, Tenerife’s capital, around 7,000 people were estimated to be on the streets by Spanish security forces.
In Gran Canaria, around 3,000 people were estimated to be present.
Misbehaving Brits visiting the Canary Islands have also fuelled a growing sentiment against tourism among workers in Tenerife.
Shocking footage showed two brits starting a vicious brawl in Tenerife while a crowd of yobs cheered them on.
Viral footage recorded in Playa de las Américas, a popular resort in the holiday hotspot, showed the men throwing jabs at each other before bystanders started to intervene.
And last week, dramatic footage also showed two Brit women scrapping in the streets of Tenerife while being leered on.
Both fights sparked fury among locals, who complained of the manic Brit behaviour on their streets.
