British holidaymakers will face a summer of disruptive hotel strikes in the Balearic Islands after talks to avert walkouts broke down this evening.
Union chiefs decided to call six days of industrial action starting from July 10.
Further strikes have been scheduled for the 18th and 19th of July, the 25th, 26th and the 31st.
More than 180,000 workers employed in the hospitality sector in Majorca, Ibiza and Formentera are expected to take action, affecting not just hotels but also restaurants and other nightspots.
Confirmation attempts to resolve outstanding pay and condition issues between workers’ representatives and employers had failed emerged last night.
Union chiefs said they couldn’t continue with talks given the fact they had lowered their wage increase demands to 16 per cent over three years but only 11 per cent was on the table.
Today’s crunch negotiations had been suspended around midday for a lunchtime break – but ended around 6.30pm with the strike action announcement coming soon after.
Balearic Islands hotel chiefs had increased a wage rise proposal that was already on the table to 9.5 per cent over three years at the start of the month, but were warned to expect a ‘no’ from worker representatives ahead of an earlier meeting on June 11.
Tourists watch in Mallorca as demonstrators hold a banner reading ‘For the right to a decent life’
Tourists seen still consuming their meals and drinks as the anti tourism protesters go by in the Old Town in Ibiza
A man watches on from his balcony as protesters line the streets below
UGT union spokesman Jose Garcia Relucio described the offer at the time as ‘more crumbs’ and claimed hotel bosses wanted their 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.’
Javier Fich, president of the Majorca Hotel Business Federation, admitted the outcome of today’s talks represented ‘failure’ on the part of negotiators and claimed union representatives had been ‘too focused’ on the wage increase issue.
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.
Earlier this month, thousands of locals marched across Spanish Islands to tell Brits to ‘go home’ as part of widespread protests against so-called ‘over tourism’.
Holidaymakers were visibly stunned by the dramatic demonstrations in Palma de Mallorca and Ibiza.
Demonstrators holds banners reading ‘For another tourism model’ and ‘For the right to a decent life’
Protesters took to the streets in Mallorca telling Brits to ‘go home’ amid soaring rent and housing prices
Protests also took place on the Spanish island of Ibiza in front of tourists eating their meals
Thousands of fed-up locals were seen banging their drums and chanting slogans while marching by tourists enjoying their evening meals.
The demonstration began at Plaza de España, in the heart of the tourist city. Activists claim more than 30,000 people took to the streets to voice their frustrations about the impact of tourism on the island.
Placards held up by marchers read: ‘Tourists go home’, ‘Mallorca is not for sale’ and ‘Mallorca is not your cash cow… go home.’
Footage shows Brits visibly shocked by the demonstrations, while some tourists were seen taking refuge on their accommodation balconies.
Other signs read: ‘Your vacations, our anxiety.’
Dozens of placards read ‘tourists go home… refugees welcome’, while a group of teenagers could be heard chanting ‘tourists go home!’ as they marched through the city.
Children taking part in the protest were seen carrying water pistols, with plans to spray holidaymakers as they pass on by.
Protesters were heard chanting slogans against Airbnb and ‘guiris’ – the Spanish slang term used to describe Brits and other foreigners.
One placard read: ‘Rich foreign property buyers go to hell’, while another said: ‘Enough is enough.’
