There is currently a cleaners strike at Ibiza Airport and the airport is an absolute disgrace. I arrived at the airport just after 2am on Saturday 20 May 2017 and proceeded to get a taxi.
When I arrived outside, I noticed a bin overflowing and thought it must just be full and the cleaners would get to it the next morning. I spent a lovely short break in Ibiza relaxing in the sun.
Astonishment At Check-In
Sunday morning 21 May 2017, I headed back to the airport and when the taxi dropped me off I noticed the bins overflowing outside. The airport looked like hell and I thought it quite shabby.
This is nothing compared to the hideous scenes inside. All the bins inside were overflowing and it caught my attention as you just can’t miss it. I checked in and headed upstairs to security screening.
What Fresh Hell Is This?
Imagine my consternation when I found the situation no better. Bottles surround overflowing bins and everyone appeared to be doing their best to ignore it. Security screening was fast and once through I was in the main terminal.
Walking along, I looked for a place to sit. There are stains from spillages on the floors, bottles everywhere, discarded take-away meals left where they had been consumed. I found somewhere not obviously dirty and sat down to wait for my flight.
Cleaners Are On Strike
At this point it dawned on me that the cleaners are on strike. The airport terminal is one huge trash receptacle. My suspicions were confirmed when announcements in English and Spanish apologised for the state of the facility and that there was a cleaners strike on.
On Facebook a friend asked why other staff didn’t pitch in to clear up the mess. Apparently the law in Spain is such that this is not permitted. I don’t know why the cleaners are on strike but someone should pay them and fix the mess as soon as possible. I have never seen anything like it in my life.
It Makes You Think
What really stuck in my mind is how much mess people create. It brings home how vital cleaning services are to public facilities such as airport terminals. Our western culture is very much a disposable one and the amount of crap everywhere attests to this.
Constant cleaning is a requirement to keep a facility looking presentable and that is even before the health implications of the situation. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough and was very happy when it was time to board my flight back to Dublin.
Overall Thoughts
There are many pictures of the carnage caused by the cleaners strike online and it truly is a sight to behold. I was so taken aback by the situation that I only took a single picture at the top of this post. That is by no means the worst of it – it is actually a picture that doesn’t show it too bad.
The strike continues and newspapers report it is scheduled to go on for three months! It certainly does not give a good impression of the island and hopefully it can be sorted out soon. Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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overflowing bin, so trash would just be in one area and not ‘everywhere’…
In this case, the trash was everywhere. People were leaving their stuff at their seats and not putting it around the bins as that was full. It was really bad!