After the death of a colleague at their workplace, the Kellys have reopened the debate about the working conditions to which they are exposed and have managed to capture the attention of the acting Minister of Tourism, the Canarian Hector Gómez.
'The Kellys' in the Canary Islands have once again taken to the streets and put their demands in the public spotlight after the tragic death in the middle of a working day of a housekeeper in a hotel in Tenerife. Although the company alleges that the death was due to natural causes, the Kellys of Gran Canaria maintain that this tragedy was the direct result of the extreme workload, stress and pressure they face daily in their jobs. For this reason, they organized a protest in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in solidarity with the family of the deceased and to demand fair contracts and an end to the labor exploitation they suffer.
Marcia Díaz, spokesperson for the Kellys of Gran Canaria, emphasizes that neither the labor reform nor the local labor agreements in the sector have managed to improve their working conditions. Furthermore, Díaz pointed out that many companies continue to subcontract them and that the deceased colleague was in this situation. "It is absolutely illegal, but they continue to do it, while we denounce it," says the spokesperson, who assures that they have never stopped fighting, but now they have decided to take their protest to the streets publicly.
The spokesperson for the Kellys of Gran Canaria rejects the idea that there is a shortage of cleaning workers and that it is necessary to hire foreign staff to fill vacancies. "There are many unemployed colleagues waiting for a contract, but companies prefer to bring in personnel from outside to exploit them and offer them precarious jobs," she argues. Díaz announces that in the coming weeks, the Kellys will take their proposed "Kelly Law" to Parliament to demand recognition of their work as "distressful" and the right to early retirement after 18 years of service as housekeepers.
For his part, Héctor Gómez, the acting Minister of Industry, Tourism and Commerce, recognized that there is room to improve the working conditions of housekeepers, as happens in "all areas." In this sense, he stressed that it is necessary to take measures in all sectors, including tourism, with the aim of achieving a standard of excellence. Gómez had to address this issue along with the announcement of the incredible pace of tourism growth that Spain is experiencing, highlighting how even in the sector that is growing the most in the country and which is the main source of income for regions like the Canary Islands, there are working conditions. which may cause damage to the health of workers.
