Urbaser workers in northern Tenerife complain of rights violations and prepare to strike.
Urbaser workers in six communities in northern Spain are protesting labor rights violations, demanding equal working conditions and an end to company pressure, threatening to strike if their demands are not met.
Employees of Urbaser, the company that cleans in six communities in the north, say their rights are being violated. This concerns 165 people working in La Victoria, El Rosario, La Matanza, Tacoronte, El Sauzal, and Santa Úrsula. They decided to speak out because the company has been ignoring their problems and working conditions for years.
Ángel Demetrio Yanes, a representative of the employees, says that the problems have been going on for a very long time. They want their working conditions to be the same as those of their colleagues, for example, in San Cristóbal de La Laguna. "A cleaner in La Laguna, who does the same job as us, earns 7,000 euros a year more. That's a big difference in salary, even though we do the same job in the same company," he explains.
In addition to salary, Yanes says that Urbaser does not take into account the needs of employees related to family. "They are constantly changing schedules, not giving us proper rest, and forcing us to work overtime," he says. Also, according to him, employees are pressured, threatened, and punished: "If you don't make it, we won't extend the contract. If you don't do it, you'll get a reprimand. We've been told terrible things. They even called and forced us to vote for the company at meetings," he adds.
The employee representative believes that the company is used to doing whatever it wants and making schedules as it sees fit, even if it contradicts the agreement. "They have been violating the agreement from day one," he claims. However, after the employees started demanding better conditions, the company hired 25 new people.
Therefore, Urbaser employees decided to gather near the organization's office in Tacoronte on Tuesday, October 14, from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. "We hope that many people will come," says Yanes. This is the first protest to draw attention to the problem. "We want Urbaser to hear our demands and stop this injustice," the statement said.
Urbaser employees are even ready to strike if the situation does not change. "At the next meeting, we will decide whether to stop working if everything remains as it is," says the union leader.
The employees' committee, headed by Yanes, was recently created. "We want to protect the rights of employees. We believe that we cannot turn a blind eye to this," he concludes.
The mayor of Tacoronte, Sandra Izquierdo, who currently heads the organization, declined to comment on the problems of Urbaser employees.