Coach dispute still not settled in Balearics

Balearic coach drivers were last night not ruling out further stoppages if management does not accept their pay demands. However, they have ruled out repeating their three day strike which brought chaos to the three Balearic airports last weekend. A union official said last night: “we will be meeting with management today and we hope that an accord can be reached. We will be presenting a new pay package, which we hope they will accept. If there is no accord we will consider what action we will take. Blockading the airport is not an option, we would probably introduce an overtime ban or refuse to operate some given excursions etc.” However, even though union officials appeared relatively upbeat the coach dispute is not over yet. Unions maintain that last week's strike was a complete success for their members even though it seriously affected the holiday plans of 300'000 people. The drivers say that they are fighting to improve their working conditions and pay structure. Presently coach drivers earn a minimum of 150'000 pesetas a month, but this is their basic salary and does not include extras.