Summary：Travelers in Spain who are either setting out on their holidays or returning from their summer break, face disru...

Travelers in Spain who are either setting out on their holidays or returning from their summer break, face disruption on Wednesday as rail workers carry out the first in a series of four strikes scheduled for key days in the summer holiday period.

Wednesday's strike will be followed by other stoppages planned for Aug. 14 and 30, as well as Sept. 1 as labor unions demand that Spanish railway operator, RENFE, increases its workforce and reduces the length of the working week to 37.5 hours.

This industrial action follow a 23-hour strike previously held on July 15, another key date in the holiday calendar.

RENFE will cancel a total of 1,152 trains including 238 high-speed AVE services over the four days of strike action in which the stoppages will be in two periods -- from midday to 1600 hours and from 2000 hours to midnight.

The first four-hour strike on Wednesday has caused to 48 AVE services to be cancelled despite minimum services of around 50 percent on most routes.

The workers' action coincides with two of the busiest days for travel in Spain as many Spaniards either end of start their summer break and with authorities predicting 2.9 million long-distance road journeys taking place between 1500 hours local time on Wednesday and midnight on Thursday August 1st.

The running of goods services is also affected with minimum services of 34 percent guaranteed.