The railway sections of CCOO and UGT called off this Friday the partial strikes planned for Wednesday, May 27, and Friday, June 5, after reaching an agreement with Renfe. The decision averts another day of disruptions in the Barcelona area.
The conflict also came at the same time as the general protests of teachers, a combination of mobilizations that threatened to strain metropolitan mobility. The railway unions maintained their demands for safety on trains and staff stability in Catalonia.
CCOO and UGT halt two strikes that coincided with teacher protests
The cancellation affects the partial strikes announced for May 27 and June 5. Both dates had been placed on a calendar of mobilizations with potential impact on daily travel in Barcelona and its surroundings.
Renfe closed the agreement this Friday with the railway sections of CCOO and UGT. The pact prevents two protest hotspots with the capacity to alter the journeys of thousands of users from coinciding in the coming days.
Unions place safety on trains and staff shortages at the center of the conflict
The workers' main demand remains open. CCOO and UGT maintain that the network in Catalonia needs more onboard safety and a more stable workforce to reduce daily pressure on the service.
The conflict they denounce on the trains weighs on that diagnosis. The unions state that Catalonia concentrates more vandalism on trains than any other autonomous community and that Renfe employees suffer more aggressions here.
The most concrete request is to reinforce surveillance with more personnel. Along these lines, they demand an increase in the number of inspectors on trains to gain presence during journeys and respond more quickly to incidents.
The cancellation announced this Friday renders the partial strikes scheduled for May 27 and June 5 ineffective, while the unions maintain the demand to incorporate more inspectors on trains in Catalonia.