Gran Canaria Airport is a catwalk. A carousel of people moving with the excitement of those leaving or the rush of those arriving. A place where dreams inflate like balloons. But behind the glass panels and the smell of Duty Free, there's an underworld where dreams aren't worth a damn, and the only law is the law of the empty plate.
There, in that limbo of hallways and industrial kitchens, a handful of workers from PANSFOOD SAU, the company that provides food, had to go to court. The reason? Something so simple, so commonplace, that one wonders what kind of country we live in. The workers were given just enough food, dog food, food for those without a voice. Sandwiches, pastries, salads... A breakfast for schoolchildren. A disgrace. An insult to dignity. And dignity, my friend, is not for sale. Not even in the Terminal.
The company, with the insolence of someone who considers money its only god, defended itself with the usual excuses: savings, lack of space. As if the dignity of a plate could be measured in square meters. As if respect could be measured in euros. But lo and behold, the High Court of Justice of the Canary Islands (TSJC), in a rare miracle of common sense, has said enough. It has shot down their arguments. It has said no. That a sandwich is not a menu. And that offering them passengers' leftovers is not an alternative. And that giving them four duros to buy their own food is a mockery in bad taste. Because the collective agreement, that law written in the ink of workers' struggles, says that a decent menu is a right, not a handout.
And not content with just the bread, the company owners, who surely know little about bread, had even removed the locker rooms. "Because of the pandemic," they would say. But the fear is the same as always, the fear that the worker is too comfortable. And the Supreme Court, with a forcefulness that is appreciated, has forced them to reinstate them. Because sweat, before going home, has to go to the shower.
This, in the end, isn't about sandwiches or locker rooms. This is about the same old thing. About who holds the upper hand. About the merchants who confuse efficiency with plunder. Who think productivity is achieved by tightening the belt of those who have the least, instead of tightening the tie of those who earn the most. The ruling is a fist on the table, a reminder to the new masters of the ring that labor rights, well-being, and compliance with the law are not something that can be bought, sold, or simply forgotten in the name of profit. It's a basic lesson the Court has had to remind the living, so that the dead don't rise to claim their bowl of soup.
A small ray of light in the dark world of labor relations. A triumph of a hot plate of food. And of dignity. Two things that, for those who need them, are worth more than all the gold in the world. And the Supreme Court of Justice, which has understood this, deserves, at least for today, a toast.
