Metro strike to disrupt Mobile World Congress

Madrid, Feb 22: Visitors at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona will be hit by a strike by workers on the city's metro system after union representatives abandoned talks over their collective working conditions on Sunday.

The workers asked for a one-percent pay rise and wanted the Barcelona public transport company (TMB) to employ more people on permanent, indefinite contracts.

The strike, which will last for three days, will see 50 percent of services during morning and evening rush hours and 30 percent services the rest of the time, reports Xinhua news agency.

Ada Colau, the mayor of Barcelona, insisted that the local authority had some "the maximum possible" to avoid the strike, which she described as legitimate, but "disproportionate" as she considered there to be "enough material" to have avoided it.

The strike will be an inconvenience to the expected 95,000 visitors at the MWC, but the Fira Gran Via, where the event is held, is also served by local rail links and also bus services.

IANS