Housekeepers Protest Low Wages, Highlight Labor Shortage Crisis: “We’ve Reached Our Breaking Point”
The representative in the Canary Islands stated in Parliament that the job is “detrimental to health”, with an average of 25 rooms serviced daily.
SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 22nd Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The spokesperson for ‘Las Kellys’, Miriam Barrios, expressed her grievances this Friday regarding the “humiliating and pitiful” wages that housekeepers earn in hotels across the Canary Islands, forecasting that the accommodation sector is likely to spiral “into decline” due to a shortage of staff.
“Our bodies are fatigued and we can no longer endure it,” she articulated during the Tourism and Employment committee meeting of the Canary Islands Government, appearing at the request of the Socialist Group and under the attentive gaze of Minister of Tourism, Jessica de León, who remained to listen to her testimony, which is an unusual occurrence among Executive advisors.
Barrios chastised Vox for failing to support the consideration of the reform to the tourism law proposing raised beds in hotels and apartments, emphasising that tourists are being “ill-treated” as proper service cannot be provided owing to insufficient staffing and excessive workloads. “When a guest wishes to tip me, I feel disheartened and it is embarrassing,” she remarked.
She pointed out that “it is no secret” that there are numerous challenges in recruiting employees, describing it as nearly an “impossible task”, given that staff are expected to clean an average of 25 rooms and prepare 50 beds whilst manoeuvring a cart that can be twice or thrice their weight for eight hours, all for a pay of €1,360 across 14 payments.
“Do you find the profession appealing under these conditions? Would any of you recommend this job to a family member or friend? You don’t need to respond,” she queried.
She insisted that working as a housekeeper is “synonymous with job instability” and “highly feminised” as women account for 98% of the workforce, emphasising that the deficit in staff is not compensated by the non-sale of rooms but rather by “the few” remaining “active”, as there is an increase in medical leave. “It is a profession that is detrimental to health,” she underscored.
She urged the deputies to work “in unity” irrespective of political affiliations to enhance working conditions, given that many colleagues “collapse” after being without work for up to nine days due to sick leave or in establishments where they are only rostered for one day. “How much income is lost on days off?” she questioned.
Additionally, she noted that numerous housekeepers arrive at work early “without clocking in” to ensure they can prepare all the rooms and cautioned that the research commissioned by the Government of the Canary Islands to investigate ergonomic conditions “is going to be shocking.”
In her view, the room cleaning sector “demands” fresh legislative actions and “corporate awareness” since 80% of workers endure “anxiety or stress,” rendering it “impossible” to actively reach the age of 67 for a comfortable retirement.
Consequently, she has called for a decrease in the retirement age to 58 after completing 20 years of service.
“THIS JOB IS KILLING US”
Barrios also mentioned that they are impacted by the housing accessibility issue, as rental properties near tourist zones are priced above €1,000 per month, yet she condemned the practice of employers deducting €300 from their salaries for “sharing a room” or dwelling in “barracks.” “This is exacerbating the precariousness of the sector and creating more vulnerable workers beholden to their employers,” she remarked.
She has called for greater expertise among labour inspectors because “otherwise, it is impossible for them to identify violations” in view of an “unbearable” workload, while asserting that they do not oppose the influx of more tourists but desire to “serve them professionally.”
She reaffirmed that the “shortage” of workers is evident and believes that the cleaning sector must be “made more appealing” if the Canary Islands wish to maintain occupancy. “This role is draining us,” she highlighted.
