Mallorca has just enjoyed a record breaking season...there were fewer tourists but they spent more. So happy days and cheers to a great winter... but no.
The Balearic government and the Council of Mallorca are busy splashing the cash offering grants and allowances to low and mid income families because there is a fear that many people will suffer serious economic hardship this winter. So something is very wrong, then. How can you have a record season with record profits but then thousands of local people have cash problems?
The Balearic President, Francina Armengol, has urged employers to give their staff a pay rise. Wages continue to be low while the cost of living has risen. The problem of high rents is so serious that there are fears that seasonal workers will be unable to come to the island. There appears to be a massive economic in-balance and something needs to be done.
We live on an island with one of the highest standards of living in the country but at the same time thousands of families are living in poverty. All this and the Balearics has full employment. The islands are one of the most expensive places to live in Spain so perhaps employers need to take this into account. It is a great shame that we have a fantastic island with an industry which is the envy of the world but at the same time there are thousands of people living below the poverty line.