Barcelona Orchestra Strike Cancels Three Madrid Concerts

Three Madrid concerts by the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra have been cancelled after workers at L’Auditori called a strike for Friday 6 November. The appearances were due at the National Auditorium as part of an exchange with Spain’s National Orchestra, making the effect of a dispute in Barcelona felt in another city.

The workers’ committee says negotiations have continued for ten months. Central to the disagreement is application of a 35-hour working week and how to account for the specific labour of professional musicians. The committee argues that individual practice, preparation for rehearsals and participation in auditions must be recognised within a realistic working pattern. It also seeks a continuous 48-hour weekly rest period.

In addition, worker representatives criticise management practices at L’Auditori, saying staff are insufficiently involved in decisions that affect their work. These are the committee’s claims, not independent findings. Management says mediation meetings through 5 November brought the sides closer on most issues but did not produce a final settlement.

The institution expressed regret for the disruption to audiences and said it wanted talks to continue. The committee called for a gathering outside L’Auditori at 6 p.m. on the strike day. The positions suggest some room for negotiation, but the cancellation shows that progress in mediation was not enough to prevent an immediate impact.

An exchange concert requires coordination among orchestras, halls, travel schedules and ticket-holders. Cancelling three performances therefore has consequences beyond a single evening, even if the underlying dispute concerns the working conditions of one institution’s staff. The next meaningful development will be whether negotiations produce terms both sides accept, rather than merely another statement about their willingness to talk.