Vegetable packers in Almería are due to start an indefinite strike on Monday following the breakdown of negotiations on pay and working conditions.
The decision could lead to a shortage of lettuce and other key products in the coming weeks as the Northern European production season has yet to get underway.
Juan Sola, regional secretary of the Federation of Industrial and Agricultural Workers, part of the Union of General Workers of Almería, confirmed that during a general meeting held on Friday morning the union had voted to reject employers’ latest offer of a minimum 160 hours of work over a four-month period.
They are demanding a contract agreeing a minimum of 150 hours a month or 160 hours every two months, or failing that an acceptable wage.
The strike is the latest setback in what is proving to be one of southern Spain’s most challenging seasons in recent years. Last month, producers were forced to destroy large quantities of iceberg lettuce as market prices slumped following a glut of production brought on by the unseasonably mild winter.
