The hotel industry in Tenerife and the western islands is at a boiling point. The unions represented in the Hospitality Union Table have unanimously rejected the latest collective agreement proposal presented by Ashotel, the hotel employers, which proposed a 13.5% salary increase spread over three years (from July 2025 to June 2028). The refusal is based on the accusation that the seemingly attractive offer hides “significant cuts in rights and salary absorption that harms the majority of workers”.
According to the trade union organisations, the crux of the problem lies in the fact that, despite the nominal increase, around 80% of the workforce in the lodging sector in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife would see how part of this salary increase is offset by previous salary agreements. In practice, this would dilute the real benefit for those employees who already receive a salary above the minimum established by the current agreement.
Rights Cuts
Beyond the “absorptions”, the unions have raised the alarm over a series of proposed modifications which, in their view, represent clear cuts in rights:
• Temporary incapacity: It is proposed to increase from six months to 24 months the seniority required to receive this supplement.
• Bonding reward: This concept, which employees with more than 16 years of seniority in the company currently receive upon voluntary resignation, would be eliminated.
• Irregular distribution of working hours: The proposal includes the possibility of irregularly distributing 30% of the working hours. The unions argue that this, although presented to facilitate a future reduction in working hours, should be the subject of specific negotiation.
Stalled Negotiation and Threat of Strikes in Summer
This outright refusal occurs in a context of stalled negotiations. Ashotel is desperately seeking an agreement to defuse the strike threat that unions maintain for every Friday in July and August. If realised, these stoppages would be the second round of strong protests this year, following those already experienced during Easter.
The employers’ association insists on a “constant willingness to dialogue” and emphasises that all negotiations must take place within the “legal framework of the negotiating table”. Ashotel defends its track record, reminding that since 2018 salaries in the sector have increased by 21% — even in the years of the pandemic — and that the current proposal “exceeds the increase agreed in the current agreement”.
The Union Position and Call for Mediation from the Government of the Canary Islands
Faced with the deadlock, the unions — Canary Trade Union Federation, (SBC + FSOC), UGT, IC and USO — have convened a key meeting for next Monday 16th June in the Hospitality Union Table to which CCOO has been re-invited. The aim is to agree on a joint proposal that can be presented to the employers at the next meeting of the Negotiating Committee, scheduled for Wednesday 18th June.
However, this search for unity is overshadowed by the stance of CCOO, which has stated that it will not accept the invitation to join this table nor will it attend the meeting on Monday. This decision could significantly hinder the achievement of a unified trade union position.
Finally, in what seems to be a last attempt to unblock negotiations, the unions have once again formally requested the mediation of the president of the Government of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, and the Minister of Tourism and Employment, Jessica de León. The intervention of the regional government is presented as the last card to bring positions closer and avoid an escalation of the conflict in a sector vital to the islands’ economy, especially in light of the imminent summer season.
