PortAventura amusement park workers go on strike coinciding with Easter holidays

Workers at Catalonia's most famous amusement park, PortAventura, will go on strike on Saturday, April 19, coinciding with the Easter holidays, as decided by the staff during a joint meeting this week.

The workers agreed to go on strike after several meetings with the company to renew their working agreement, which expired on December 31, 2024.

Staff are calling for a "dignified" agreement with salary increases, as the UGT PortAventura union claims that 65% of workers are earning just the minimum wage.

"We are open to negotiating," Paco López, general secretary of the labor union's division, said in a statement. "But to do so means that the company has to leave away their inflexible position," he added.

According to the labor union, workers are just asking for more transparency from the amusement park management and for the managing issues to be solved. They claim schedules, resting hours, or even transportation options to go to work.

The minimum wage is around €15,000; however, most workers "work between five and nine months per year, meaning that they only receive €8,000, €10,000 or €12,000," López said.

If the managing board does not negotiate, workers do not rule out extending their strike further than April 19.

Meanwhile, PortAventura claims that they have not received the official announcement from the Catalan labor and business ministry in regard to a potential strike.

"As we have been doing until now, the company will continue working responsibly and be open to reaching agreements with the workers," PortAventura World sources said.

The same sources say they expect to fully operate on April 19, guaranteeing the usual experience to all visitors.