This May Day weekend could see road travel become somewhat more challenging, as there will be a strike affecting Spanish gas stations.
According to a statement from CCOO, the strike will unfold on April 30, 2026, from 12:00 to 16:00, and on May 3, 2026 for the entire day (24 hours). “That day, coinciding with the return from the May Day break, gas stations will be halted,” they said.
1,200 euros: the typical salary of a gas station worker
According to unions, the employers’ association is blocking the negotiation of the collective agreement (which has been on the table for months and has not been renewed since 2024), withdrawing proposals for a 2% salary hike and attempting to push through disguised layoffs. They thus demand a clause guaranteeing salary updates in line with the real CPI with an additional 0.5% increase. The aim, they argue, is to prevent a loss of purchasing power in a context of sustained inflation.
The average monthly gross salary of a gas station worker in Spain lies roughly between 1,200 and 1,400 euros, a wage often regulated by collective agreements and that varies according to the company, seniority, nighttime shifts, and additional allowances.
Moreover, they highlight the lack of progress on fundamental issues such as work-life balance, the reduction of working hours, or the improvement of bonuses, which represents a deterioration of working conditions. The Spanish Confederation of Service Station Employers represents more than 4,000 gas stations, so it is highly likely that thousands of service stations will be affected.
Let us recall that during the outbound travel operation for the May Day long weekend in 2025 there were more than seven million movements across the national territory, with the main traffic problems concentrated in the central area.
