The Las Palmas de Gran Canaria City Council is finalizing the transition of its Municipal Cleaning Service into a public company, to be known as the Municipal Urban Hygiene Society. This change in legal structure has sparked concern among employee committees, who warn of a potential hidden privatization of a service that was brought back under public management in the early years of democracy and established in its current form in 1985.
The municipal government, led by Carolina Darias, defends the creation of a wholly municipally-owned commercial company as the most suitable option. According to a recent statement, this model will enhance planning capabilities, streamline administrative procedures, and strengthen the service's responsiveness to the city's needs.
However, cleaning staff have voiced their apprehension, announcing strikes and demonstrations scheduled for July 26 and July 31. One labor representative succinctly expressed the sentiment, stating: 'We miss the old man,' referring to Juan Rodríguez Doreste, a historical figure in municipal socialism.
The urban hygiene body for the capital of Gran Canaria dates back to the 1983-1987 term, with a PSOE holding an absolute majority. The municipalization of the service occurred after taking it from private hands, specifically from FOCSA (a precursor to FCC), a company that currently holds a significant portion of private contracts with the city council. That municipal takeover was marked by the alleged removal of documentation and reports of irregularities in executive remuneration.
After years of direct management, the Municipal Cleaning Service Management Body was established in 1985. Its first head, José Francisco 'Caco' Henríquez, noted at the time that the service, previously a contract, was an 'expense unit' requiring proper administration and management, ruling out the creation of a company then.
Currently, employees criticize the lack of involvement in a dialogue table regarding the transition and the absence of studies justifying the new model's viability. They also lack guarantees for job security, given a theoretical workforce of 1,100 employees with only 417 positions filled.
The City Council assures that the proposal includes maintaining public employment and assuming all rights and obligations of the current Municipal Cleaning Service, guaranteeing the continuity of staff and their working conditions. Nevertheless, the new company might follow a model similar to other municipal entities like Sociedad de Promoción and Geursa, which have faced financial controversies.
Cleaning Service workers are proceeding with the planned strikes for the July 26 and 31 council sessions, which will include protests in Plaza de Santa Ana. They will be joined by firefighters from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, who also report precarious working conditions, staff shortages, and deteriorating work environments.
Both groups are demanding real job stability, an end to precariousness, improved working conditions, and sufficient, dignified staffing levels to ensure quality public service. Cleaning representatives expressed surprise at a City Council press release announcing a dialogue process, stating that the meeting was brief, focused on minimum services for the strikes, and ended without agreement.
Despite the disagreements, the strikes and protests during municipal sessions are proceeding, fueled by a long list of grievances that, according to employee committees, have eroded trust in current dialogue frameworks.
