Third day of strikes at the TIB with 96% support: the indefinite strike is approaching.

PalmThe labor dispute that erupted at the TIB reached its third day of strikes this Wednesday after employers proposed a new collective bargaining agreement with a four-year salary increase of approximately 8% to 12%, which the unions rejected. Participation in this strike in Mallorca reached 96% at 11:30 a.m., according to data from the Ministry of Housing, Territory, and Mobility.

The department headed by José Luis Mateo maintains that on this third day of protests by TIB employees, the minimum service level, set at 60%, is being met. There were no incidents in the depots during the morning, although there was "a lot of noise and whistling" from drivers of the intercity bus service concessionaires in Mallorca, who again gathered at the Palma Intermodal Station this Wednesday to demand wage increases.

Sources from workers and management have confirmed that despite this effort, they have yet to reach an agreement, and that the 24-hour strike scheduled for this Wednesday will continue. The next step, if the strike continues without any changes, will be to call an indefinite strike starting next Friday.

The protests organized by the SATI union began last Friday, with a turnout of around 80% and occasional acts of violence, such as those that resulted in seven buses being damaged by stones in Alcudia.

Monday's strike, which was supported by 93% of workers—according to official data—passed off without incident and with proper compliance with the minimum service level, decreed at 60%.

Despite two days of protests, the workers and the ten concessionaires of the TIB have failed to reach agreements that would avert the threat of an indefinite strike in the middle of the summer season.

Improvements and agreements

While the former are demanding salary and working conditions, the latter claim to be subject to public tenders that end in 2030 and are difficult to modify. The Ministry of Labor has maintained contact with both parties, but so far this has not resulted in an agreement.

Sources from the Balearic Business Federation of Transport (FEBT) have indicated that the idea is for both parties to hold a meeting with representatives of the Government this Wednesday, although they have not yet received a formal invitation.

Prime Minister Marga Prohens has stated that she hopes the conflict will be resolved before the indefinite strike. In this regard, she emphasized that little by little, "agreements are being established between both parties." The Popular Party member emphasized that there are meetings every day to unblock the situation and that the Government's role in this conflict is none other than "to mediate."

Speaking to the media, Prohens acknowledged that progress has been made in the negotiations, but no agreement has yet been reached between the parties. He also explained that on Tuesday, workers rejected an offer from the companies to sign a new collective bargaining agreement that included a wage increase of between 8% and 12% over four years. "It's true that positions have come closer together, but we cannot yet confirm that there is an agreement and that, therefore, the strike has been called off," he concluded.

Meeting with the Government

In fact, this very Wednesday, the government has called a meeting between the strikers and employers. The meeting will take place at the headquarters of the Ministry of Labor and will be attended by the head of that department, Catalina Cabrer, and the Minister of Mobility, José Luis Mateo.

A spokesperson for the strikers expressed confidence that the employers will change their position and stop putting forward "empty proposals that only lead to going around in circles." "We hope that a realistic solution to the conflict will emerge at this meeting, or else we are clear that we will continue as long as necessary," he emphasized, referring to the indefinite strike called starting Friday.