The workers of the solid urban waste collection and street cleaning service of the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria City Council have formally called a strike for the upcoming June 26 and July 31. The measure aims to halt the conversion of the municipal service into a commercial company, a move they claim is intended to evade public spending controls.
Rafael Hernández, president of the works committee, explained that the creation of this commercial company seeks to provide 'money and a free hand for everyone,' allowing them to 'bypass all public spending controls' and avoid the scrutiny of the municipal audit office. Hernández criticized that political officials admit the change would give them 'more freedom' in management, questioning the improvement in efficiency if the current managers remain.
“"They want to bypass that intervention, so I can do whatever I want, and then, in the future, I will have to justify that spending or not"
Rafael Hernández also refuted the justifications made by councilor Espinola regarding the new waste fee, clarifying that the staff's salaries come from the municipal budget (chapter 1) and not from this fee. He insisted that the staff has no economic demands, but rather seeks to 'preserve our jobs and our public employment status'.
“"We are not asking for more money or anything like that, simply to preserve our jobs and our public employment status"
In addition to the strike, the works committee has initiated legal actions and is preparing a report. The sole condition for calling off the strike is for the City Council to 'backtrack' on its plan to create the commercial company. Regarding the council's recent 'Golden Broom' award, Hernández expressed skepticism, arguing that the award was based on investment with the private company FCC rather than results, recalling that the public service had received similar accolades in the past.
