Torrevieja Cleaning Staff Call for Easter Strike due to Labour Abuses

The problems with Torrevieja´s disastrous multimillion euro waste disposal contract have gone beyond the poor and failing contractual obligations that have resulted in dirty streets and lack of collections, and have also caused considerable problems with the workers trying to fulfil their roles, resulting in the workers once again registering a complaint with the Labour Inspectorate and a call for strike action at Easter.

The representatives of workers union, the UGT, have detailed the information relating to the complaint filed with the Labour Inspectorate in Alicante.

Given the increase in absences of staff due to depression and anxiety at work, with almost 20% of the workforce, they explain that they are “obliged to report again to the labour inspectorate the unfavourable results for the company in more than 80%”. They continue to detail how from the “Psychosocial Risk Assessment (possible harassment at work) carried out on 12/22/2023, it is clear that, after the results of the tests completed by all workers, there is no doubt that more than 80% feel with overload in their workplace, now it is up to the labour inspection to manage and evaluate the results, which was the one that forced the company to carry out this Psychosocial Risk Assessment, waiting for the pertinent and sanctioning measures to be taken against the company in order to put an end to it. With this scourge that we have been suffering since the new management of Acciona became part of the Torrevieja contract, we must also say that the (official harassment protocol is conspicuous by its absence)”.

After four meetings of the works committee in the town hall with the mayor Eduardo Dolon and the cleaning councillor María José Ruiz, exposing these health problems and the possible workplace harassment of many workers and the neglect of cleaning in the town of Torrevieja due to lack of staff, we have not had any response, although they promised to solve it two years ago, so for our part we broke the contract with the mayor by not fulfilling it, which he committed to and signed with the workers.

The list of complaints is almost endless, and includes:

As of today, the Torrevieja workforce is at a minimum (more than 50 workers are missing).

More than 200 sanctions filed by the company in 2 years to try to intimidate and pressure the workers, the fact is that they have not won a single sanction in the courts.

Work overload in the manual sweeping sector 2 sectors (complaints made by workers to the works council), with possible pressure from middle managers forcing them to do double their work due to lack of personnel. Discontinuous permanent workers are not hired, resulting in the lack of personnel.

Minimum services do not operate on Sundays and holidays due to lack of staff.

Leaves due to IT and work accidents are not being covered, 20% of leaves are due to depression and anxiety at work (Psychosocial Risks).

We are still in unhealthy barracks, although the mayor and the councillor promised us with very nice photos and projects in May 2023 at a casino meeting that the new work centre would be finished in September 2023.

We are still working with vehicles that are more than 20 years old, although the contract has been awarded for almost 2 years.

The cleaning of lots is being a disaster without direction or order without total completions, leaving dirt, from jump to jump.

Illegal implementation of surveillance cameras in side-loading vehicles in order to punish workers.

Overload of work Goods Service according to the agreement, 2 workers should be used, a Driver and a Labourer, due to lack of personnel in the Night Goods service only one worker goes with the risk that entails.

Workers who do a higher category such as driving vehicles as labourers are not being paid the difference in salary.

For all the above:

In the situation that we find ourselves in for two years without solutions and in a meeting held with our members and workers at the UGT, it was unanimously decided to propose to all the workers and unions of the works committee to carry out a seven-day strike during Holy Week and also several gatherings at the door of the town hall, for our part it is impossible to continue working with these pressures, work overloads and, most seriously, the harassment that we are subjected to every day due to the lack of personnel in the template.