Canary Islands bus drivers to strike

Bus drivers on the eastern Canaries will, strike in September in an attempt to improve conditions and establish an agreement covering the sector until 2032.

In Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, the strike will begin on September 15 and 16 and will continue on successive days with intermittent stoppages from 06:00 to 10:00 hours and from 17:00 to 21:00 hours, until the resolution of the conflict.

Ricardo Hernández, the delegate for the Comisiones Obreras union at Intercity Bus Lanzarote, claims that “employers have blocked negotiations.”

The bus drivers are demanding a 37.5 hour working week and equalisation of conditions across the three islands in Las Palmas province. According to Hernández, Lanzarote bus drivers earn around €1,600 – €1700 a month, but this is more than €7,700 less per year than their counterparts in Gran Canaria are paid.