Wasteland: Barcelona airport covered in trash after cleaners go on strike (PHOTOS, VIDEO)
An airport in Barcelona, Spain has been transformed into a massive dump, with litter piling up throughout the facility since cleaners went on a five-day strike over a potential wage reduction.
The strike at Barcelona’s El Prat airport began on Monday, and the international airport is now covered in squalor, with rubbish overflowing the trash bins and covering the floors, according to La Sexta.
Cleaners on strike at Barcelona airport. #strike Spanish style pic.twitter.com/Y6fYcBlPDx
— Ciara Feely (@Venue_finder) December 2, 2016
El Prat is Catalonia’s main airport. It handled 39.7 million passengers in 2015.
Shocked passengers have shared images of the filthy airport on social media.
El Prat airport is a tip, rubbish everywhere. Presume there is a cleaning strike. Any idea @ellispalmer94pic.twitter.com/pxxHyQjzDo
— Steve Fraser (@Saintbarca) December 2, 2016
Pure Filth #Barcelona#ElPratAirport#BCNpic.twitter.com/8MKdHG8O6D
— carl craig (@carlcraignet) December 2, 2016
Barcelona airport atm lol. https://t.co/uRtaLDrQlApic.twitter.com/xkPOpOqccl
— Dan 🤖 (@_rootword) December 3, 2016
Barcelona airport today. Post-Armageddon. Result of the protest by its cleaning personnel over salary reduction pic.twitter.com/Ejmg2Vk8Dq
— Andrea Martinelli (@Andmmar1) December 2, 2016
Oh wow! What happened to the Barcelona Airport?There's mess literally everywhere. Maybe they're trying to prove something #curious#confusedpic.twitter.com/5f3c6L3d34
— David Kološić (@DavidKolosic) December 2, 2016
On way home from #Barcelona where we noted how clean city centre streets were. Bit of a contrast at #BarcelonaAirport due to #cleanerstrikepic.twitter.com/WDXB3txmV4
— Lucy Ferman (@LucyFerman) December 2, 2016
You too can be part of a realtime Tracey #Emin-style installation: #Barcelona airport cleaners' protest #livingartpic.twitter.com/8O7dV0QC4T
— Trevor Moore (@HappyHumanistUK) December 2, 2016
Welcome to #Barcelona airport pic.twitter.com/5kMZ77rPff
— Varcelones (@VRequena79) December 2, 2016
There have also been reports of toilets becoming blocked.
Employees of Valoriza service company have gone on strike because they believe cost cutting measures taken by airport management Aena will result in their wages being cut.
The company claims that it is only negotiating schedules to provide better service to the airport.
Cleaning at the airport has now resumed, but the unions say they their members will walk off the job again on December 22 and 23 if an agreement is not reached.
El servicio de limpieza del Aeropuerto de Barcelona-El Prat retoma su actividad tras la huelga. pic.twitter.com/uh2pfXqX3I
— Aena (@aena) December 3, 2016
Similar chaos was experienced at the airport in May of 2012, when cleaners went on a two-day strike and threw piles of paper around the airport grounds. On that occasion, workers were protesting €1.3 million in budget cuts announced by Aena.
