October 25 Clásico Set During Barcelona Fixed-Discontinuous Strike
Barcelona’s October 25 meeting with Real Madrid remains on course despite a planned strike by the club’s fixed-discontinuous employees. The action is scheduled to run from 00:00 on Friday, October 23, until 06:00 on Monday, October 26, overlapping with the Clásico and raising questions about matchday operations. The fixture remains scheduled, with the club saying it can manage the weekend’s events.
MARCA reported on October 16 that the Clásico was not in danger and that Barcelona guaranteed the weekend’s matches would take place. The Barcelona-Real Madrid fixture is one of several events covered by the club’s operational assurances.
The club says a matchday at the stadium involves around 80,000 people, combining attendees and organisational personnel, and that it has the capacity to run events normally during the protest. The affected group numbers 60 workers, who have their own collective agreement and are seeking better pay alongside a 50 per cent increase in staffing, to 90 employees.
The workers provide auxiliary services including security, cleaning and hospitality. Barcelona says its historic approach of directly employing staff for some of these roles has become somewhat outdated, and points to Real Madrid, Atlético de Madrid and Espanyol as clubs that outsource comparable services rather than maintaining an equivalent fixed-discontinuous workforce.
The dispute therefore concerns both the employees’ conditions and how the club organises those services, but Barcelona’s stated position is that the strike will not stop its scheduled events. The club has also said it will continue discussions with the workers in search of consensus, while assessing their needs alongside responsible management of its resources.
Mundo Deportivo separately reported that the club considers the Clásico and the other matches planned for the weekend, along with their operational arrangements, to be secure. Those fixtures include events at the Palau Blaugrana and Estadi Johan Cruyff, as well as the men’s first-team game against Real Madrid.
The immediate implication for supporters is that Barcelona still expects the Clásico to be played on October 25 as scheduled, within the strike window. The stoppage is due to end at 06:00 on October 26, and the club says dialogue with the affected employees will continue.
