Tenerife South: 3 flights cancelled in general strike

What changes for visitors in the south after the strike?

Nothing changes for visitors in the south: the general strike ran from 00:00 to 24:00 on Wednesday 11 November and is over. According to the information so far, it has brought no new rule, price or deadline.

Aena (the Spanish airport operator) counted six strike cancellations by 08:30, out of 1,176 scheduled flight movements. Three hit Gran Canaria and three hit Tenerife South airport.

Nothing was cancelled at Tenerife North or on the other islands in the first hours. Employers said hotels, ports and airports ran largely as normal.

Which airlines and flights were affected is not yet known. Anyone flying in the next few days should check their booking or the airline’s app, as always.

What rights do passengers have if a flight is cancelled?

For Canary Islands routes, the Transport Ministry ordered minimum services of 56 to 74% on 11 November, depending on the airport. On mainland and international routes under five hours with no alternative, the figure was 39 to 64%.

Emergency, organ transport and state flights ran at 100%. In the 2012 strike, minimum services stood at 50% of connections between the mainland and the islands and between the islands.

Around 700 flights were cancelled in 2012, according to figures on that strike. This time the figures show six cancellations by 08:30, and there is no final tally.

Passengers who do not cancel their own flight usually keep their refund and rebooking rights, according to travel advice. If the airline cancels, passengers are entitled to a refund or replacement transport, plus meals and, if needed, a hotel.

The compensation payment of 250 to 600 euros lapses in extraordinary circumstances. Whether a general strike counts is decided case by case, and package travellers should contact their tour operator.

Under EU Regulation 261/2004, the entitlement depends on the cause: a strike by airline staff is treated differently from a strike by third parties. This account has not been checked against the text of the regulation.

How many people joined the strike on 11 November?

On the Canaries, 56% walked out in the first hours, according to UGT, and 61% across Spain by its own count. At Aena, the union puts the figure at 100%.

CCOO spoke of about 50%, and Vanesa Frahija of CCOO Canarias called the day a “resounding success”. According to CCOO, more than 1,000 delegates staffed information points from midnight to 11:00.

CEOE Tenerife puts participation at just 1% in the private sector, and the CCE employers’ association uses the same figure. CCE vice-president José Cristóbal García called the strike “absurd” and said ports, airports, hospitals and tourism were running normally.

The CEHAT hotel association saw practically no effect, and tourism associations on Lanzarote spoke of about 0.2%. None of these figures has been independently checked.

In the regional administration, participation was provisionally 5.8%, excluding health, education and justice. In education it was 11.74% across the Canaries at 11:00.

Tenerife reached 7.08% in education, and only La Palma was lower, at 2.26%. Justice staff on Tenerife reported 11.35%.

What happened at the pickets and demonstrations?

Pickets stood at the ports of Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote and at bus stations, including in La Laguna. Ignacio Hernández of CCOO spoke at a picket at the Mercado de Nuestra Señora de África.

Reports so far give no turnout for the demonstration in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. A figure is therefore not yet known.

In Las Palmas, police counted about 3,000 people at the start, and on Lanzarote there were 2,500. On Fuerteventura, about 700 took to the streets in the afternoon, according to official sources.

Because of Storm Charles, the rallies on La Palma and La Gomera did not take place. The unions had called them off.

In Las Palmas a bus was pelted with stones, and metal spikes lay on the GC-1. CEOE Tenerife condemned graffiti and vandalism, while CCOO complains of police action and announces legal steps.

Land transport barely felt the strike, says the FET Canarias association. UGT accuses Metropolitano de Tenerife of hiring staff for minimum services and is filing a complaint; the company had not replied by the time of reporting.

Why are CCOO and UGT striking?

The unions give wages, housing and prices as their motto, and they registered the strike with the Labour Ministry on 19 October. The Federación Sindical Canaria and Intersindical Canaria backed the call.

Manuel Navarro of UGT Canarias cites 211,000 empty homes in the Canaries. If 20% of them were let, the problem would be solved, he says.

Wages are about 500 euros below the Spanish average, according to the unions. Both figures are union claims and have not been independently checked.

A statement of 12 October names the eviction of an 87-year-old woman at the end of September as the trigger; she died days later. The details of that case could not be checked.

The unions call it a labour-law strike and reject the label “political strike” used by the right-wing opposition. CEOE Tenerife, under president Pedro Alfonso, had described it in advance as heavily political.

What happens after the general strike?

A regional strike could follow, depending on the reaction, said Daniel Casal of the Federación Sindical Canaria. That is a statement of intent, not a decision.

According to the reports, the government respects the right to strike, and nothing more is known so far. What becomes of the announced complaints and lawsuits is also open.

An election is due on 29 November, and Navarro linked the strike date to it. Strikers lose a day’s pay, but the government statement gave no amount.

A strike order by SAERCO air traffic controllers applies to nine airports until 30 November, including Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. The information does not name Tenerife’s airports, but travellers should check their airline’s notices as a precaution.