The Workers' Commissions (CCOO) union continues to challenge the nationalist unions using formal arguments. The union, which has excluded itself from the nationalist call, has expressed its discontent with the Canary Islands Government's (PP) General Directorate of Labor for not convening the tourism employers' associations to the meeting held this Thursday. The general secretary of the CCOO Services Federation in the Canary Islands, Borja Suárez, said this decision represents a lack of respect for the union, which believes it was the right time to negotiate and seek solutions to avoid the strike called for Easter.
After the meeting with the Director General of Labor, José Ramón Rodríguez, Suárez explained that the labor authority chose to meet only with the strike committee, excluding business representatives. For the Workers' Commissions (CCOO), this decision reflects a lack of willingness to effectively address labor demands. Suárez criticized the fact that, while meetings are being held with other unions and employers, as was the case on Tuesday with the UGT, Intersindical, USO, FSC, and SB, this opportunity is not being taken to advance negotiations.
The strike called by the CCOO (Working Council of Workers) responds to a series of demands the union has been raising since 2023, without receiving a response from employers. Among the demands are a salary increase, a reduction in heavy workloads, the elimination of split shifts, and the implementation of elevating beds, similar to those required by law in the Balearic Islands. Furthermore, the CCOO denounces that employers associate sick leave with absenteeism, which they consider an unfair attitude toward workers.
Suárez emphasized that, although tourism sector workers were responsible during the economic recovery following the pandemic, now that companies are in a "buoyant" situation, it is time to address their demands. According to the union leader, these demands have been rejected on more than seven occasions, with arguments such as increased costs or legal uncertainty arising from reduced working hours. One of the key proposals of the CCOO is the creation of a single regional agreement for the tourism sector in the Canary Islands, to replace the current provincial agreements. According to Suárez, this measure would guarantee equal conditions for all workers, avoiding situations like that of a chambermaid in La Gomera, who earns 21% less than one in Lanzarote. "It is necessary to establish common ground so that all workers have the same value," he stated.
The CCOO (Working Workers' Commissions) has announced that it will attend the meeting called for next Monday, although it will study the legal implications of the employers' absence from this Thursday's meeting. Suárez is confident that the employers' associations will participate in this new meeting to confront the strike committee's demands and seek solutions to avoid a walkout. "This strike is not a bluff; there is a strong willingness to carry it out if agreements are not reached," he warned.
