Employees at petrol stations in Mallorca and the Balearics are due to stop work for four hours on April 30 (noon to 4pm) and to then stage a 24-hour strike on May 3.
The industrial action called by the CCOO and UGT unions will be nationwide, affecting 55,000 employees in Spain and some 800 in the Balearics. The unions insist that the employers "are making a killing", Roberto Serrano for the UGT in the Balearics saying "they're selling fuel at exorbitant prices while wages are rock bottom". The situation for petrol station attendants is "unsustainable", given an average salary is €1,350 per month. "That's barely more than the minimum wage."
Miguel Amengual of the CCOO is critical of the employers' association for changing its attitude after the war in the Middle East. Up to that point, negotiations for a new pay agreement had been going "very well". The negotiations have now completely broken down.
Serrano points out that fewer and fewer people want to work at petrol stations, which is a reason for for the increasing number of self-service stations. These workers have to do everything, as there are shops which selling everything, and stations can even include the likes of laundromats.
The unions are demanding an initial two per cent annual pay increase plus an increase to reflect the Consumer Price Index and an additional 0.5% for 2025 (retroactively). They are demanding other improvements in working conditions, such as work-life balance. In their view, it is essential to resume negotiations to avoid a conflict that will negatively impact service station customers.