Organisers of Sunday's protest in Palma, satisfied with its success, are stressing that it was "just the beginning". Further actions are being prepared for the coming months, the organisers having no confidence in the Balearic government's drive towards a pact for sustainability.
Margalida Ramis of the environmentalist group GOB, a key component of the Menys Turisme, Més Vida platform, says: "The truth is that we no longer need to campaign to raise people's awareness, but rather to take immediate and long-term measures. We have zero confidence in the roundtable for the pact as we can already see in which way it is heading."
In Ramis's view, likely government measures "will be very far from what we are proposing". Echoing a now familiar observation regarding a Partido Popular "change of discourse" on tourist overcrowding, Ramis attributes this to an attempt "to demobilise people, just as they were demobilised when there was a left-wing government".
This said, GOB and like-minded groups who took part in the gathering to launch the pact and are represented on the resultant working parties will maintain this participation: "It is one more tool to apply pressure."
The meetings of the 12 working parties that cover issues such as social sustainability started last week. They are intended to outline means of reformulating the tourism model and the economic-social strategy for the coming decades.
Ramis dismisses the idea that the protests will generate a significant decline in tourism demand. In her opinion, it is the overcrowding itself that is scaring tourists away. "Many people are already stopping coming when they see how saturated the island is. It is not we who are destroying tourism, it is they themselves." By this she means the hoteliers and, by extension, the entire tourism sector.
She emphasises that the intention is "not to play with anyone's future; the whole labour issue is of great concern to us". The chambermaids association and unions were present at the march on Sunday. For her, this was an indication of protest being across the board and of the negative impact that the current model of economic growth has on the working class.
To this end, one of the main unions, the CCOO, drew attention on Monday to what it described as chronic job insecurity among hospitality workers. Record tourist arrivals and business turnover this season "are not being translated into improvements in working and living conditions". The increased price of housing and cost of living have deterred seasonal workers, a situation that "minimises" the workforce and leads to "certain companies taking advantage to breach the law and the collective agreement".
There is work overload for which there is not adequate pay. "And there will be an increase in workplace accidents and sick leave due to illnesses brought about by the extra work."
10 comments
To be able to write a comment, you have to be registered and logged in
BeachcomberExactly
You have laugh. The left wing government ignore greed, run the island without any forward planning and are complicit in the situation we have today, yet they are behind this protest challenging the current government of just over one year. 20000 don't speak for the island. The election was lost, get over it. AND what about the immigration quota going from 300 to 6000 in a few weeks ? I'm an immigrant but again has the national left government granted funding for housing, health care and schools ? But hey, its the tourists fault.Hypocrites the lot of them.
i would love to comment but my previous one regarding the previous administration was censored by Majorca Daily Bulletin
PSOE activists hard at work forming their resistance to revenge the humiliating loss they endured in the last local election. Regardless of the collateral damage to the island and its economy in their mind the means justify the end.....
Next time just vote for one party then they and the electorate will have the power to do something positive, maybe, just maybe,
BeachcomberDo you really think that the overwhelming popularity of Mallorca is because it has suffered "constant decline in everything on Majorca"?. I'd argue quite the contrary. But do would basic logic. And of course, reality says quite the opposite too.
It is as has been said these people are actually protesting there own government actually they want Comunism well be careful what you wish for Mrs is basically a Communist Group and Hate anyone who dosent come from Mallorca it dosent matter how much $ you bring to the island , The mallorcan people have benefited massively from the Forighners who have invested in the island and its people just look at the cars driving around !’
Empty ? I’ll be there. It’s my favorite time of the year.
So there you have it, the protesters are actually against the current government as well after years of a socialist government and constant decline in everything on Majorca. Hopefully the current more right wing government will get things done like extending the railway network and these protesters can then get jobs supporting the tourist infrastructure rather than blaming everyone else for economic problems rather than themselves.
I reckon it will be pretty amusing to watch a protest take place on an empty Magaluf beach in November.