The secretary of the Company Committee for Workers’ Commissions and Delegate for the Prevention of the Metropolitan Safety and Health Committee of Tenerife, Jonay Acosta, reported on Thursday that the tram workers’ strike will proceed after the town hall announced on Wednesday that, at last, after years of demands from the workers, it will substitute the carcinogenic silica powder in the braking system since Dávila “has been unable to negotiate a resolution to the conflict.”
Speaking to Europa Press, Acosta described the recent announcement from the island president regarding the complete substitution of silicate dust with calcium silicate in the tram braking system by June 2025 as “a blatant attempt” to place “the strike committee between a rock and a hard place” due to the upcoming Santa Cruz carnivals, adding that “he has not succeeded in negotiating an end to the conflict.”
The tram workers have established strikes from Monday to Friday, in three segments, during the service’s peak hours. Consequently, during these times, Metaranraife maintains tram operations with the minimum services set at 80%.
“The strike sections will remain unchanged. We are not going to alter the strike intervals to disrupt the carnival for the people of Tenerife. The three scheduled strike segments during peak morning and evening hours, from Monday to Friday, will persist until there is a willingness to resolve the conflict with Rosa Dávila,” he stated.
“The replacement of silica sand was verified by the manufacturer after tests were conducted. The water-filled trams were loaded to their maximum capacity, and tests were carried out in both flat and downhill braking scenarios, all of which we participated in, during November 13 and 14, 2024,” said the secretary of the Company Committee by CCOO.
He further stated that it was at that moment the manufacturer declared that the silica sand would be replaced. Thus, the announcement made yesterday by the town hall concerning the replacement of silica dust is “a smokescreen” intended to obscure “the disastrous management” of the island president and the Minister of Mobility, Eulalia García, who is also the head of Metropolitan Tenerife.
Demands of the Committee
The tram workers have been striking since 2023. Since then, they have outlined their primary demands to Metropolitan on the island, including their request for preventive measures regarding safety and health, since “the company continues to refuse to conduct health monitoring for drivers and reviewers, even though they are exposed to silica dust.”
They also seek acknowledgment of all activities involving silica dust conducted within the company “without any protection” since 2007, an issue they claim is also being rejected. “They refuse to officially acknowledge in a document all activities that were carried out. Activities were undertaken that are harmful to health such as manual sand handling, which exposes employees to silica dust beyond the permissible limits.”
Regarding accidents, incidents, and maltreatment, Acosta continued, “the company declines to conduct investigations.” He explained that whenever an accident occurs, the company attempts to “find someone to blame” and “deflect” attention from the situation through expert reports “commissioned externally,” instead of conducting proper investigations within Health.
Health and Safety Committee
Furthermore, the “psychosocial risk” facing the workforce has been acknowledged.
Accordingly, it has been noted that a psychosocial risk assessment conducted in October 2021 revealed that “the majority of the workforce is exposed to high and very high psychosocial risks.” This highlights several key elements: working hours, autonomy, workload, psychological demands, interpersonal relationships, social support, and employee engagement, among others.
Accidents and Conflicts
“Moreover, we have identified several critical points along the line where preventive measures are essential. It is necessary to establish barriers to prevent pedestrians from encroaching on the roads, yet the company refuses to implement these measures, leaving the driver unprotected,” Acosta has emphasised regarding the importance of taking action to prevent a fatal incident that occurred in December 2022.
Concerning the workers, he adds that personnel such as the reviewers “are utterly vulnerable” each time a conflict arises, as whenever they have intervened in some situations, “they have ended up being reported by the individual who instigated the conflict, and the company has left them abandoned, without any legal support or assistance.” Additionally, there is a lack of alignment between workforce capabilities and the existing demands without appropriate compensation.
