Travel chaos for British holidaymakers as coach drivers vote to strike in Spain
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PA
British tourists planning a Balearics break could see their holiday dreams dashed as Spanish coach drivers vote in favour of a series of summer strikes.
The 4,000 coach drivers who take holidaymakers from airports to hotels in Majorca, Ibiza, Menorca, and Formentera yesterday said they would start a series of strikes on 20 July unless they get a pay rise and overtime backdated to 1 January 2012, according to the Daily Mail.
The drivers are taking action against austerity measures in the country, after they saw their wages frozen in 2010.
The strike is being led by the General Workers' Union and the Workers' Commissions; when Spanish unions strike, it is often for one or two days at a time, three or four times a month.
So the estimated 1.8 million Britons heading to the Balearics this summer could face travel chaos.
And they won't be the only ones unhappy about the situation.
Many hoteliers, as well as the islands' regional government, were hoping a busy tourist season could boost spirits during Spain's economic crisis.
As negotiations ensue, it is possible the threat of the strikes could be lifted, but one journalist in Palma told the Daily Mail: "It's not looking good."
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