The National Coordinator, Luisa Tamayo, criticises the “subservience” of the Canary Islands government for aligning with employers.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Apr 17. (Press Europa) –
Izquierda Canaria (IUC) has expressed its complete backing for the strike called for this Thursday and Good Friday within the hospitality sector of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife province. They have condemned the Canary Islands government for declaring minimum “illegitimate and disproportionate” services, likening tourism to a crucial public service.
“The Canary Islands Government, led by CC and PP, displays its subservience to the tourism lobby, safeguarding the interests of major entrepreneurs while disregarding and reprimanding the labour rights of over 80,000 workers in the sector,” remarked Luisa Tamayo, National Coordinator of IUC.
In her view, “decreeing minimal services in hotels as if they were hospitals, under a Francoist law from 1977, is a democratic disgrace.”
IUC argues that the “consensus” the regional executive refers to seems only to be sought with hoteliers, whilst “the workers’ protests are being criminalised.”
“The Canarian Executive justifies the minimum services with reasons such as high occupancy rates or the presence of tourists with disabilities, yet they never mention the meagre wages, labour exploitation, or the structural precarity faced by the sector,” states Tamayo.
In that vein, she emphasises that “this strike is not a threat to tourism, but a plea for attention to an unsustainable model that thrives on the impoverishment of those who facilitate it.”
The left-wing party asserts that the Canary Islands continues to be the second region with the lowest average wages, while hotels report “record highs” in revenue, with €149.2 per room occupied recorded in February 2025, the highest figure ever noted.
Confronted with this situation, the Canarian and employer government merely “offers wage containment, unbearable workloads, and now, coercion against the strike.”
For IUC, the minimum services dictated by the Ministry of Tourism and Employment, ranging from 15% to 25%, represent an “unacceptable restriction” of the fundamental right to strike, and they share the stance of the unions that have announced their intention to take legal action.
An “urgent review” of the tourist model is required
“The Clavijo administration acts as a conduit for major tourism interests, even if that means trampling on the Constitution,” Tamayo declared.
IUC further criticises the Government’s attempts to mediate towards an agreement without addressing the structural conditions of precariousness or rescinding the minimum services decree.
“Clavijo’s supposed mediation has been pure institutional theatre aimed at glossing over an anti-union strategy. If you genuinely wish to promote social dialogue, you must withdraw the minimum services and respect the right to strike,” adds the coordinator.
Thus, the Canarian tourism model requires an “urgent review” that prioritises labour rights, wealth redistribution, and social as well as environmental sustainability.
“It cannot continue to be acceptable to have record numbers of tourists and corporate profits while those who clean rooms or serve in dining areas struggle to make ends meet,” concludes Tamayo.
Consequently, Izquierda Canaria urges citizens to support the striking workers and advocate for a just productive model.
“This strike involves not only tourism workers. It encompasses an entire community that refuses to be enslaved by the Sun and the beach, demanding dignity and a fair distribution of wealth,” she stated.
