The workers of the Santa Rita Home gathered again yesterday at the gates of the geriatric residence, located in Puerto de la Cruz, to publicly denounce a new delay in the payment of their salarieswith the uncertainty, in addition, of not knowing when they are going to charge.
The call brought together a greater number of employees, who shouted “We want to eat, we want to eat”, demanded their rights and once again called for the resignation of the manager, Tomás Villar, whom they consider to be primarily responsible for the current situation.
“Their only response is that the Institute of Social and Socio-Health Care (IASS) is late in paying for the places it has arranged with the center,” declared the head of the socio-sanitary and health sector of Comisiones Obreras (CC.OO.), Alexis Rodriguez.
For this reason, the works council (also made up of Intersindical Canaria and UGT) tries to exhaust all resources to avoid the strike and has requested a meeting with the heads of the Government of the Canary Islands and the Cabildo de Tenerife, “because they also have to be aware of the situation of the workers and take action on the matter”, declared Rodríguez. “Right now we are waiting for an answer to our writings and if it is not resolved we will have no choice but to take this step,” added the union representative. For IC’s legal advisor, Fran Baute, the most worrying thing “is the exodus of workers from the center that this uncertainty and insecurity is beginning to cause.”
In this sense, he assured that there are employees who have requested leave of absence and have sought work in other areas because they cannot afford to pay their mortgages and basic needs.
Both Rodríguez and Baute once again condemned “the mistreatment” that the manager, Tomás Villar, inflicts on his workers, being “incapable”, furthermore, of not being able to expedite their payroll payments, “because there is no bank that generates the endorsement of the Santa Rita Foundation”.
In this sense, Baute regretted “that Mr. Villar continues to look for guilty parties everywhere and he does not assume even the slightest responsibility.”
