Petrol station workers across Spain call strike on peak May bank holiday dates

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The strike the CCOO and the UGT unions have called will take place between 12pm and 4pm on 30 April and during the 24 hours of 3 May

Ignacio Lillo

Wednesday, 22 April 2026, 16:11

Spanish residents and visitors planning to travel by car during the upcoming May bank holidays might find some obstacles along the way. The CCOO and the UGT unions have called a strike at petrol stations across Spain, threatening to disrupt refuelling during two of the peak travel days.

If the negotiating parties do not reach an agreement, the strikes will take place between 12pm and 4pm on 30 April and over the 24 hours of 3 May.

"Prices are rising, but our wages keep dropping. It's time to defend the purchasing power of working people," the CCOO stated on social media.

The strike comes after months of fruitless negotiations with employers for a new collective bargaining agreement for the sector, which, according to the unions, is currently stalled.

Workers' representatives are demanding a minimum annual wage increase of two per cent and a guarantee clause linked to the actual CPI plus 0.5 per cent to ensure that inflation does not erode purchasing power. They are also calling for improvements in work-life balance and a reduction in working hours.

Head of the Andalusian employers' association (Agavecar) Álvaro Fontes has said that negotiations are still open and he is confident that they can resolve the situation in the coming days in order to avoid the strikes.

Fontes does not hide the fact that, in the current context of general uncertainty about fuel prices and the war in the Middle East, these demonstrations would add to the negative impact that drivers are already experiencing.