These Are The Most Strike-Prone Cities in Europe
The right to strike is guaranteed by most countries in Europe and is often used by workers across the continent as a form of protest. Whether it is nurses in the UK requesting fairer pay or the French refusing any pension reform, everyone is striking in hope of change. Striking usually provides disruption to a particular sector, which can sometimes make travelling a bit more difficult.
Holidu, the holiday rental booking portal (www.holidu.co.uk) and Spain-Holiday (www.spain-holiday.com) decided to dig into data to reveal the most strike-prone cities! Using data from the International Labour Organization, among others, it was possible to rank the most strike-prone cities and countries in Europe.
Paris, France
Taking the crown as the most strike-prone city, and by no means is this a surprise, is Paris. The French capital is often a rendezvous point for demonstrators all over the country when a strike is taking place. In Europe, France has the most average days not worked due to strikes and lockouts between 2009 and 2019, and Paris also comes out on top for the highest number of publications in the media about its strikes. Some strikes are more periodical than others, for instance, each year train operator staff go on strike to ask for better working conditions and fairer pay, which disrupts transportation in France as well as in Paris. Strikes are known days in advance which can help visitors to plan their trip, a simple internet search can be extremely useful when travelling to the city of love.
London, England
London ranks second in this list of the biggest strike-prone cities in Europe, and for a number of reasons. The United Kingdom has the third-highest average days not worked due to strikes between 2009 and 2019. London, however, gathers the most search volume for the keyword “strike London” and the second-biggest amount of publications for the same request, showing its popularity among users online. London is at the forefront of numerous strikes and protests, from hospital staff to railway workers or teachers, the capital doesn’t shy away from screaming its demands. Many publications cover work stoppage and give great indications of the best time to travel to the British capital.
Madrid, Spain
Spain closely follows France in this ranking. The country counts the second-biggest number of average days not worked due to strikes between 2009 and 2019. It is Madrid that is chosen by most workers as the place to protest and firmly expose their demands. Recently, it was to complain about health care cuts that incentivise people to walk across the Spanish capital. Madrid has racked up a large amount of Google searches and publications related to its strikes, which seems to make work stoppage a recurring trend in the country. Information about strikes in Madrid is easily found online and can be handy to plan the best moment of the year to travel to the South of Europe.
Barcelona, Spain
The fourth city in our ranking is also the second Spanish city to appear, Barcelona comes right after Madrid in this list. Workers in Barcelona often use striking as a way to be heard. And it shows, the city encompasses high numbers of search volume and publications related to strikes. All sectors can be a part of those protests, recently taxi drivers were on the front line of the demonstrations, striking to demand a review of the taxi law. Barcelona is a very touristy city, therefore strikes could impact tourism in some cases. Labour unions are always transparent about the dates and duration of strikes, which can be precious information for any travellers when visiting the sunny capital of Catalonia.
Marseille, France
Again, France is unsurprisingly ranking high on our list. After Paris follows Marseille, a sunny city located in the South of the country. Whenever an important strike and/or protest takes place in Paris, the same movement is mimicked across the largest French cities, and Marseille is no exemption. The most recent strike and demonstration was against the retirement reform which gathered more than 20,000 people in the centre of Marseille. Before travelling to the “cité phocéene”, make sure to check the numerous articles about possible strikes to find the right time to visit the French Riviera.
