The Ashotel manager states that the day is progressing with “normality” and supports the 6% agreement and salary increase.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Apr 17. (Press Europa) –
The head of Ashotel, Juan Pablo González, expressed on Thursday that they are “surprised” and “disheartened” by the announcement of the strike in the tourism sector, as his proposal for a 6% wage rise was “genuine”, and they are now set to restart collective negotiations from the beginning, with a “blank slate.”
In remarks to the media, he mentioned that a strike possesses a “deterrent” effect that has facilitated employer negotiations; however, “when nuclear weapons are employed, the film is over.” “There’s nothing more to discuss,” he stated.
He indicated that the day is passing “normally” and without significant incidents, expressing regret that the pre-agreement reached on Wednesday at the Government presidency, mediated by President Fernando Clavijo, “was a sound agreement as it did not sideline anyone.”
He noted that the proposal outlined, in broad terms, a 6% increase in the salary pool for workers, ensuring that purchasing power would be maintained in any signed agreements, the introduction of lifted beds in hotels, and a pilot project to assess seniority, which is currently subject to litigation that the TSJC must resolve and that “will conclude in the supreme 15%.”
González conveyed his worry regarding the “division” among workers, noting that some assemblies did not achieve unanimous votes, whereas others, especially those focused on usage, validated the agreement, with workers expressing confusion regarding their union’s concession of that agreement.
He insisted that a strike has been called against an active collective agreement and noted that while there were initially “numerous issues” discussed, ultimately the dialogue centred solely on salary increases, which the employer accepted to consider based on a report concerning the loss of purchasing power prepared by the ULL.
He affirmed that from the business perspective, “everything feasible has been done” and they remain open to “listening” to the unions’ demands but now without “pressures,” as the strike has been executed.
Addressing the discrepancies in salary tables between hospitality agreements in the two Canary provinces, he defended that Santa Cruz de Tenerife’s table is “tailored to the flexibility and circumstances of each establishment,” because “a 500-room hotel directly on the beach is not comparable to a hotel of the same category situated five lines back from the beach.”
However, he stated that should unique salary tables be established across the Canary Islands, “that might come or not,” although he acknowledged that “it can’t be that bad” if the tourism sector managed to operate without a strike for over three decades.
González acknowledged potential “discrimination” between larger companies and smaller ones but clarified that “it is not accurate” to claim that wages are higher in the province of Las Palmas.
Ashotel “cannot be asked for more”
He also highlighted that Ashotel “cannot be asked for more,” and now, in the “garbage time, as we say in basketball, it is more challenging to resolve matters.”
Looking ahead to future collective negotiations, he pointed out that the employer will address issues of absenteeism as “we must begin to find solutions” regarding the lack of health resources, the mobility problems that hinder a worker’s commute from the north to the south, and the “Damocles’ sword” that the legal lawsuit regarding age looms over the sector.
“These are the issues that concern and engage us,” he explained.
When asked about the minimum service levels set by the Canary Islands Government during the strike, he highlighted that the decision was “courageous” as “you cannot leave individuals, children, adults, or elderly people without food for two days,” nor can hotels neglect fundamental maintenance needs. “What if there’s a fire, and who will extinguish it?”
He did not shy away from acknowledging the reputational damage caused by a tourist strike and admitted to previous cancellations of local tourism, primarily in Tenerife, but not so much from European or mainland tourists, who had already booked their holidays.
