“Confident” about no strike in hotel sector, coach sector still doubtful

LORENZO Bravo, secretary general of the UGT trade union, said yesterday that he was confident that a solution to the conflict in the hotel industry would be found before today's deadline for resuming pay talks and a strike would be avoided. He said that today's meeting would be “very important” to lay down the guidelines of the future wage agreement.
But he pointed out past rounds of wage talks had been “stormy,” and did not entirely rule out industrial action.
Labour minister Cristobal Huguet said that the government was “logically concerned” about the effects the absence of an agreement and a strike in the sector could have. But said he was confident that management and unions would reach agreement. The chief stumbling blocks in the wage talks are the period covered by the wage agreement and the amount of the increase.
The second largest coach company in the Balearics, Ultramar Express Transport, is planning to strike on three days, in protest at management's failure to comply with the wage agreement and the regulations governing security and hygiene at work. Union spokesman Pedro Berruezo said that the dispute was not about money.
The strikes are planned for eight hours on Friday, July 15, 12 hours on Saturday July 23 and up to 24 hours on Friday, July 29.
Berruezo claimed the company fails to honour holidays and hours worked, does not provide information for union representatives and does not hold meetings on health at regular intervals. However, a meeting is due to be held with the arbitration board before the weekend.
Ultramar Express Transport has a fleet of 120 coaches and is an affiliate of Ultramar Express which belongs to TUI.