Barcelona Spain Guide by BarcelonaMan.com

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Thursday, January 3, 2008

Barcelona Bus Drivers Strike

The bus drivers strike in Barcelona City ends tomorrow - for now.

The strike, with dates of 21-24 December 2007 and 2-4 January 2008, is coming to an end. The bus drivers, whom work 6-days per week, are asking for a 5-day work week. Seems fair to me. But with that, no doubt, will also come a lower weekly salary.

Barcelona also has the metro, thankfully, but with the entire city depending on the already busy metro system, PARTICULARLY during the holidays when people are most on the movie, this a not very positive alternative. Many older persons prefer buses to metro and can't afford taxis - although it's probably the taxis whom benefiting from this conflict.

A number of Barcelona bus drivers are being blamed for sabotage of the 54 buses operated by "scabs". "Scabs" are people whom go against the strike and work instead of striking. Bus stations were also vandalized with spray paint, expressing the wants of the strikers.

How do you feel about the bus strike in Barcelona? Share your views, opinions here. It's unfortunate workers must resort to striking but, of course, employers are typically slow or apprehensive offering "more" when they can get away with less.