Locations cluttered with rubbish, beds teeming with cockroaches, decaying mattresses… This is the situation highlighted last Friday during the City Council plenary session in Santa Cruz de Tenerife by the workers providing care and home support in the municipality. Carmen Delia Henríquez, speaking on behalf of her colleagues, cautioned about “the precariousness enforced by private companies” and outlined “a series of unmet commitments” from the Council, which is led by the Canarian coalition and the PP.
Henríquez warned that during their shifts, they encounter residences in appalling conditions, “infested with bed bugs, fleas, rats, and animals in distress, alongside infectious diseases…”. She also stated there are incidents of “bathrooms not suitable for use, where we risk elderly individuals falling or sustaining injuries while transferring them to bathtubs, using poor-quality gloves, putting ourselves in contact with water and even faeces, as evidenced by photographs…”
The worker highlighted on behalf of her peers that in homes, they discover “broken lighting, no washing machines, unanswered beds, decaying mattresses, and being used like human cranes. We injure ourselves, visit the mutual, and they literally claim that this is not the job, that it is genetic or akin to going out dancing on weekends,” she remarked.
“Shock cleanings have not been excluded from our responsibilities; the only difference now is we are sent alone instead of in pairs or threes to avoid raising suspicions as if we were foolish,” Carmen Delia Henríquez stated. “Where are the fumigations and cleansings that the City Council is obligated to perform in these residences?”
Moreover, she questioned “where is the accountability and compassion of the City Council to allow a user of a public service to be subjected to such neglect.”
Another concern raised is that they work with a limited number of hours and a schedule, and once they take users (since they directly assist those in dependency, although under the same company), they find themselves owing the company hours. This was recently explained to this newspaper by Verónica González, president of the Company Committee.
Henríquez elaborated that the coordinators are overwhelmed, with users suffering the consequences of this mismanagement: through changes in schedules, shifts in auxiliary staff, and missed services… “We receive complaints from users when we go to provide services, asking what is happening, questioning how disorganised it is.”
She also emphasised that the promised awareness campaigns have never materialised and that they are expected to perform cleaning duties when they are meant to be providing socio-sanitary assistance. She pointed out that this is a predominantly female sector, where they have experienced sexual harassment from users. “We women bear the brunt of this issue, and some have claimed that this is not the forum to discuss such matters and that it is trivialising. We assert that sexual harassment is a significant issue to address anywhere, and they will not dictate where we can or can’t talk about it. What actions will they take regarding this?” she asked.
The worker presented this statement as the socialist group had introduced a motion during the session to enhance the service. An initiative that received support only from the PSOE. “For months, we have heard them express concern for the SAD, yet all that the service has done is connect one disaster after another,” remarked Councillor Alana Chinea.
On her part, the Councillor for Social Action, Rosario González, stated that “time will reveal the true positions of everyone” and expressed hope that in a few months, “when the new model is introduced to resolve these issues,” the PSOE would reconsider their stance.
A few days ago, this publication reached out to the company responsible for the home help services, who declined to make any statements.
