After ten days of partial strikes and the threat from the Gran Canaria Island Council to raise minimum service levels to 90%, Salcai has decided to suspend, but not call off, the strike it was holding in the south of the island, the Canary Islands Transport Federation (FET) reported Tuesday. Salcai employees are the owners of the company that was kidnapping commuters and using tourists as human shields for their protests.
The decision comes after representatives of the workers and management held a meeting on Monday. "The strike is suspended as long as negotiations progress at a reasonable pace, respecting the basic guidelines proposed by management," the FET stated. However, the warning remains: the legally mandated strike notice is still in effect, which would allow the strikes to be reactivated without the need to issue a new notice.
The employers' proposal also includes recognition of the conditions applicable to the substitution of personnel in cases of company substitution and the separation of the most complex economic and organizational elements, which would continue to be regulated by island or company agreements due to differences considered "insurmountable" between the islands. The strike committee also agreed to set a date to reactivate the negotiating table within one week, in a gesture intended to continue the dialogue and avoid new conflicts that could affect users and tourists at the height of the high season.
This pause in the strikes comes at a critical time for transport in southern Gran Canaria, where pressure on public and private services had caused considerable inconvenience to residents and visitors, highlighting the delicate relationship between labor negotiations and the economic impact in a region highly dependent on tourism. By suspending the strike, Salcai and the FET hope to buy time to make progress on agreements that stabilize the sector and guarantee both the continuity of service and the recognition of workers' rights.
