San Bartolomé de Tirajana faces a rocky start to its summer season as beach workers from popular spots like Playa del Inglés, El Cochino, Maspalomas, and Meloneras have announced an indefinite strike starting on June 8th.
The employees, who manage sunbeds and umbrellas on the beaches, are employed by Perfaler, a company whose service contract expired in 2011, have decided collectively to protest about their precarious working conditions.
The Federation of Canary Islands Trade Unions (FSC) and the FSOC have issued a statement explaining the strike is a result of prolonged negotiations without coming to an agreement. They have expressed their frustration over more than a year and a half of failed talks with Perfaler SL, demanding updates to their working conditions to meet current legal standards.
- Updating the terms of the previous agreement to align with current legislation.
- Enhancing health and safety measures.
- Providing additional training to prepare for organisational and technological changes anticipated with the new service tender.
- Improving social conditions such as work hours, wage adjustments, work-life balance, and internal promotion opportunities.
Yilenia Vega, the municipal councillor overseeing this area, remains hopeful for a resolution. She says that the local government has mediated the conflict and is considering increasing payments to the company to support better wages for the workers, though this increase will need to be gradual.
However, the situation remains tense as the strike date approaches, threatening to disrupt the summer season for tourists in one of Gran Canaria's most popular destinations. The outcome of this dispute will be closely watched by both locals and visitors.
