Barcelona Port Workers Block Cruise Terminal Access

A labor dispute at Barcelona's cruise port disrupted passenger access Wednesday after port workers set a barricade on fire and blocked a road leading to the terminals. The demonstration forced travelers to carry their luggage on foot, affecting thousands of visitors and cruise departures in the Spanish city.

Approximately 200 workers participated in the protest, which lasted about four hours, according to Spanish outlet Metrópoli. The demonstration took place near the Porta d'Europa bridge, where workers blocked an access road, Crónica Global reported.

Four cruise ships carrying more than 13,000 passengers combined were in port during the disruption, according to Cruise Hive. The vessels included Royal Caribbean's Odyssey of the Seas, Mein Schiff 7 and AIDAmar. Norwegian Escape was also preparing to embark passengers for a new voyage.

Workers built a barricade using branches and set it ablaze. Riot police were deployed to the area, according to Crónica Global.

The demonstration centered on concerns that discrepancies identified in a government payroll audit could result in salary reductions of up to 8%, Spanish local outlet betevé reported. Workers argued that employees should not bear the financial consequences of the discrepancies.

The workers' committee outlined its position in a statement released Wednesday, according to maritime news outlet Diario del Puerto.

"The solution is not to cut salaries," the workers' committee said in a statement.

The dispute followed a government audit that identified differences between approved salary budgets and the amounts actually paid to port employees, according to Spanish media reports.

The Port of Barcelona acknowledged the need to address the discrepancies identified by the audit but disputed responsibility for the underlying problem, according to local broadcaster betevé. The port said it was required to correct the payroll differences while maintaining that the issue did not result from wrongdoing by the port itself.

Barcelona remains one of Europe's busiest cruise destinations. The Port of Barcelona recorded nearly 4 million cruise passenger movements in 2025, highlighting the scale of the city's maritime tourism industry.

The labor dispute comes amid broader tensions over tourism in Barcelona. Earlier in October, protests against tourism raised concerns about the impact of visitor numbers on the popular Spanish destination.

During the summer, Barcelona officials also pushed to increase taxes on cruise passengers staying in the city for fewer than 12 hours. The proposed increase could bring the charge to as much as $35 as part of efforts to address overtourism.