THE train drivers union in Spain has called a day-long strike on the eve of the big August getaway over breakdowns in air conditioning equipment on Renfe services.
Renfe staff have suffered discomfort, anxiety and fatigue after spending hours in driver cabs that have become virtual saunas, according to the union.
The strike will take place on Friday, July 31, and so far Renfe has not declared what minimum services will be run.
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There has been no management response so far to union complaints over air conditioning.
Cancellations and delays are expected on CercanÃas, Media Distancia and Larga Distancia (AVE, Avlo, Alvia) trains on a day which is normally one of the busiest of the year.
The drivers union says that air conditioning equipment breakdowns are not one-off incidents, but a structural deficiency in the fleet of Renfe trains that has been going on for months.
It has demanded the urgent convening of the Renfe Group’s Labour Disputes Commission and blame the problem on two factors, namely the outsourcing of maintenance work and keeping trains with damaged air conditioning on the rails instead of taking them to a workshop.
A union statement said: “You cannot work with trains that look like saunas, without an action protocol and with hundreds of people on board on the verge of heat stroke.”
They claim there has been an increase in sick leave linked to headaches, anxiety, and a feeling of suffocation during shifts.
In the last three months, reports over faulty air conditioning have shot up by 40% compared to the same period of the previous year, according to internal data.
It has been argued that problems have increased since Renfe started outsourcing maintenance work in 2022.
The situation is particularly worse on Larga Distancia lines that cross the central plateau and the Guadalquivir valley, where temperatures inside trains have at times exceeded 35C.
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