Canaries News - News from the Canary Islands

General strike threat over unemployment levels

The Canary Islands main unions (UGT, CCOO, Intersindical Canaria, FSOC, STPA Canarias, STU, COBAS, USO) yesterday threatened to call a general strike in the Canaries in protest over the unemployment levels in the islands which has reached 34.27%, over one in three people are now without employment. The protest is said to be not only [...]

Unemployment in the Canary Islands reaches 34%

Iberia Express to link Tenerife South with Mallorca

Slight unemployment rise in March 2013

The number of registered unemployed people in the Canary Islands has risen by 198 people in March 2013 when compared to the previous month of February 2013 representing an increase of 0.07% driven by increased unemployment in three sectors: agriculture, services and the unemployed with no previous job. Year on Year figures show that unemployment [...]

British man stabbed in Fuerteventura

A 64 year old British citizen has been reported to have been stabbed at around 4AM on Monday morning (1st April 2013) in the town of Caleta de Fuste (Specifically in the area of El Castillo) in the municipality of Antigua on the island of Fuerteventura. The injured man reportedly received several stab wounds to [...]

El Castillo Caleta de Fuste Fuerteventura

Fire destroys premises at Yumbo Centre in Gran Canaria

Posted by Canaries News on May 7th, 2013

Up to seven premises at the Yumbo shopping centre in Playa del Ingles in Gran Canaria have been destroyed by a fire that broke out in one of the venues in a fire that started at 08:20 this morning (Monday, 6th May 2013). No one has been injured in the blaze. The cause of the fire is unknown at the moment. Four different fire crews attended the blaze using over 9,000 litres of water. The area affected is on the second floor under the mini-golf. Given the time of the start of the fire, all of the premises involved in the fire were empty.

Update : It is reported that a young British person has been arrested for questioning about the fire and it is alleged that he may have started the fire after an argument where he made a threat to the owner of one of the premises over his involvement in a firework display.

General strike threat over unemployment levels

Posted by Canaries News on April 30th, 2013

In the presentation of the events, which is planned for the 1st of May, the general secretary of UGT in the Canary Islands, Gustavo Santana, said that the current unemployment rates are “more than enough” to call a general strike in the Canaries, because the regional government has “great responsibility” in all that has happened to the islands. “It is not true that the only blame lies with the central Government” he added. According to the union, the Canary Islands Government has “turned its back” to the social reality of the islands, as it makes policies that, after five years, are seen to have “totally failed”. In his view, the general strike is “taking shape more than ever” because, without a change in policy, the Canary Islands will plunge into a social and economic depression.

Mr. Santana went on to say “The general strike will act to reject these policies, but also to denounce the prevailing business culture in the Canary Islands, which is that of dismissal. Even with the tourism sector scoring above 90% throughout this period, all it has done is destroy employment.”

“The Canary Islands government and their employers are bound for a general strike and we will take our time to set the date, because we will go to all the businesses and workplaces to explain who has responsibility in all of this” he said.

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Unemployment in the Canary Islands reaches 34%

Posted by Canaries News on April 25th, 2013

The number of unemployed people in the Canary Islands has risen during the first quarter of this year (2013) by up to 17,200 people. This represents an increase of 4.68% during this period and brings the total number of unemployed in the Canaries to 385,200 which represents 34.27% of the population. This places the Canary Islands third in Spain with the highest level of unemployment. Andalucia is top of the unemployment list with 36.87% of its population, followed by Extremadura at 35.56% and then the Canary Islands at 34.27% (7% above the National average of 27.16%.

Meanwhile, in the whole of Spain, the number of unemployed people increased by 237,400 in the first quarter of 2013 reaching 6,202,700 people (an increase of 1.14% when compared to the last quarter of 2012) this represents a 27.16% of the current population in Spain.

Iberia Express to link Tenerife South with Mallorca

Posted by Canaries News on April 4th, 2013

From the 1st of July 2013, Iberia Express will be strengthening its Canary Island connections during the summer months. It is the first Iberia Express route which has neither origin nor destination in Madrid. With four weekly flights and tickets from €88 euros which can be booked via the Iberia Express website, it is currently the only direct route between Palma de Majorca and Tenerife. As of the 1st of July, the new route will directly link the Balearic and Canary Islands, without having to go through Iberia Express‘ hub at Madrid-Barajas.

Iberia Express is adding this new route to its seven island destinations, which are currently Ibiza and Palma de Majorca in the Balearic Islands; and Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, La Palma and Tenerife in the Canary Islands, all routes with origin or destination in Madrid.

Slight unemployment rise in March 2013

Posted by Canaries News on April 3rd, 2013

Of the total number of unemployed people, 154,874 correspond to the province of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura) where unemployment rose in March (compared to February) by 167 people (+0.11%) and the remaining 136,798 unemployed correspond to the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro) where unemployment increased last month by 31 people (+0.02%).

Compared with March 2012, unemployment has risen almost the same in the two provinces, 2.82% in the province of Las Palmas (4,252 more unemployed) and by 2.80% in Santa Cruz de Tenerife (3,721 people). Of the 291,672 registered unemployed people in the Canary Islands right now, 145,516 are men, 146,156 are women and 22,175 are under 25 years (11,355 males and 10,820 females). Last month, unemployment went up in the islands by 203 people in the group ‘without previous work’.

Among foreign workers, unemployment fell last month in the Canaries by 382 people, (-1.57%) meaning the total number of unemployed foreigners is stands at 23,995 unemployed (from EU countries). Compared with 2012, unemployment has fallen in the islands for foreign workers by 4.48%.

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