STAFF at the Spanish consulate in London have gone on strike 'indefinitely' over salary issues, according to its website.
Services at the office attending to Spaniards living in or visiting the British capital will be 'severely affected' from Tuesday onwards, with the exception of emergency passport matters and 'getting-out-of-jail' help, where minimum services only will be offered, the message says.
Convened by the Foreign Executive Commission of the UGT-FSP, a branch of Spain's General Workers' Union – one of the country's two largest, along with the Labourers' Commission (CCOO), the strike is a last-ditch effort to convince the Spanish government to pay staff a wage that reflects the cost of living where they are based.
As well as their basic salary, workers at the consulate are calling for a 'London allowance' to be added to their wages – a payment which is given to practically everyone who works in in the UK's largest city, given that it is one of the most expensive capitals in the world to live in and transport costs are the highest in Europe.
Civil Registry, Notary, Legalisation, Social Assistance and Visas will all be shut and services provided by these units will cease until further notice, the consulate says.
Employees say they 'apologise for the inconvenience', and assure that 'consular emergencies' – such as deaths abroad or passport problems impeding immediate travel – will continue to be attended to.
Photograph of the Spanish consulate in London (Google Street View)
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