Shop staff in Canary Islands threaten strike on Black Friday
Tensions are mounting across the Canary Islands as around 90,000 shop workers warn they could walk out on Black Friday (28th November) unless there’s real movement in talks to improve pay and working conditions.
The strike threat, led by the Workers’ Commissions union (CC OO), comes after more than 20 months of stalled negotiations on a new agreement. Union leaders say staff are simply fed up after years of low wages, long hours, and little protection.
Borja Suárez, Secretary General of the Services Federation of CC OO Canarias, said workers have been “pushed to the limit”. “When wages are this low, even losing one day’s pay is a big hit,” he explained. “But after 20 months of talks going nowhere, people have had enough.”
The union is calling for a pay rise, better health and safety measures, and shorter working hours to make it easier for staff to balance work and family life. They’re also demanding that a 20-minute paid break be added to the sector agreement, a long-standing request that’s been ignored.
Suárez criticised the slow pace of negotiations, pointing out that most of the major employers involved are large companies. “We’re asking for a fair and modern structure that reflects today’s reality,” he said.
On Tuesday, dozens of demonstrators gathered outside the Canary Islands Parliament, urging MPs to listen. So far, only representatives from the Socialist Party (PSOE) and Nueva Canarias–Bloque Canarista have met with the union to discuss the issue.
Suárez also explained that while the regional government stepped in to help resolve the hospitality sector’s dispute earlier this year, “it hasn’t wanted to get involved in this one”.
He warned that many shop workers are part-timers earning only the national minimum wage, leaving them in a precarious financial position. “If you combine short hours with minimum pay, it’s simply not enough to live on,” he said
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