The Government of the Canary Islands will allocate this year one million euros in aid to advance the application of the reform of the Tourism Planning Law, which obliges accommodations to incorporate adjustable beds and motorized carts to prevent occupational hazards for chambermaids.
This was announced this Tuesday by the vice president of the regional Executive, Manuel Domínguez, and the counselor of Tourism and Employment, Jéssica de León, in a press conference in which they stressed that the initiative will allow anticipating the legal deadlines set between 2027 and 2033.
Domínguez has explained that the legal modification, approved last Wednesday in the Parliament of Canarias, with the sole abstention of Vox, "orders the Government to act" to improve labor conditions in the tourism sector, and has defended as "opportune" the budgetary advance for the aid.
One million euros, the first aids to apply the law
"After the definitive approval of the law, we have considered a credit modification of around one million euros, which will give rise to the first aids that we will generate for the sector so that it can adapt the adjustable beds and motorized carts", the vice president has pointed out when emphasizing that the purpose is to facilitate the activity of the chambermaids.
The counselor Jéssica de León has specified that the aid will be allocated to the acquisition of elevable beds, motorized carts and other elements included in the new regulations, although she has reminded that the law must still be published in the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands and in the Official State Gazette.
De León has detailed that the future regulation establishes that the hotel sector must go from the current 12% implementation of adjustable beds to 25% before the end of 2027, while in the extra-hotel sector the objective will be to reach 10%, starting from the current 7%.
The purpose is that before December 31, 2033, 100% is reached.
The counselor has indicated that, although they would not be obliged to do so until 2027, advancing this million euros and "accelerating that transition" is "a moral obligation and a responsibility with the tourism sector, particularly with the chambermaids of the Canary Islands".
Musculoskeletal problems among chambermaids
De León has highlighted that when he arrived at the Ministry, the causes of overexertion due to musculoskeletal disorders were the main problem detected among chambermaids, while currently they have moved to occupy the third place, which he has attributed to the occupational risk prevention measures applied in the hotel and extra-hotel sectors.
According to what has been added, these actions have contributed to reducing work accidents by around 17% in the last year.
The regulatory bases for this first line of aid will be drawn up this year and the call will be resolved in the first half of 2026, with special attention to small and medium-sized enterprises, with the purpose that, according to the counselor, "there are no first-class chambermaids and second-class chambermaids".
