Maspalomas celebrates Labor Day this May 1st in a climate of moderate protest, albeit marked by a growing divide between the various union groups representing the thousands of people who sustain the tourism industry in southern Gran Canaria. On a traditionally unifying day, the dispersion of events, slogans, and representatives was more noticeable than ever, reflecting the tensions building in the sector after years of transformations, outsourcing, and changes in working conditions. Grassroots unionists, the majority in the sector, have asserted that the wage agreement reached last April by the Workers' Commissions (CCOO) and the UGT (General Workers' Union) with the Las Palmas employers' association does not have their support. Meanwhile, lifeguards working in hotel chains like Lopesan in Meloneras, left alone, are lost without the support of any union center and continue to strike, waiting to see how it will end.
While some unions are opting for symbolic acts and small gatherings at iconic locations this May Day, others have decided to avoid any public events, opting instead to demonstrate on social media or in closed spaces. This fragmentation has even affected dialogue with hotel employers, which, according to industry sources, is hampering key negotiations on rotating shifts and conditions for subcontracted staff.
The internal division, however, was reflected in the lack of coordination between traditional unions and newer platforms, many of which emerged in the last five years in response to the gaps left by traditional Madrid-based structures. The conflict surrounding works councils in several hotels in the south, as well as differences over how to address new work management technologies, have contributed to a fragmented landscape that threatens to weaken the capacity for collective pressure. Tourism, which in 2024 strongly regained its pre-pandemic strength, remains the main employer in the area, but also reflects a precariousness that refuses to disappear. The outsourcing of services such as cleaning, cooking, and maintenance continues to generate pockets of inequality between those who work in the same complex but with different agreements and rights.
Despite the divisions, Labor Day served to convey a clear message: the tourism model cannot be sustained without decent working conditions. The shadow of union fragmentation looms over Maspalomas this May Day, but it also highlighted the need to articulate a unified voice.
