The general secretary of Comisiones Obreras in Lanzarote, Vanesa Frahija, celebrates that the latest unemployment data in Lanzarote reflects "a record in the number of unemployed, especially applying the Labor Reform." The island has thus accumulated five months of declines in unemployment figures. Currently, there are 8,233 unemployed people in Lanzarote. However, Frehija aims to eliminate structural unemployment as much as possible.
This type of structural unemployment is the forced unemployment that is caused by changes in the structure of a country's economy. For example, that which may occur due to technological advancement and the excess of labor in a particular type of job.
For Vanesa Frahija, the answer to the unemployment that remains on the island is clear: "The employers and companies have the solution." The general secretary of CCOO in Lanzarote emphasizes that we must go to practice and that the company is the one that must implement solutions to facilitate the incorporation of workers into the labor market. "We have been collaborating with the company for months to agree on measures that can make jobs attractive," she says.
Frehija highlights that in previous years many companies in the south, not all, had transportation for workers. This support was eliminated in many spaces, but some hotels want to recover it.
"There are agreements between companies from different hotel chains that share transportation costs. Transportation for two hotels: 40 spots for me and 40 for you. This already exists, but there are very few currently that are still doing it," she explains in her intervention on the morning show Buenos Días, Lanzarote.
Among these proposals, the union highlights the value of economic measures. Frehija assures that creating an economic bonus for those who work in the south of the island is one of the options. Likewise, Comisiones Obreras is discussing with the tourism employers the option that hotels that have agreements with airlines to relocate passengers from canceled, delayed, or diverted flights pay an extra to their workers. "They assume an unforeseen workload, the company gets richer, which seems perfect to me, but what about the workers?" she emphasizes. This type of idea serves as an impulse to recognize the work and effort of salaried personnel.
"Right now, the worker has the possibility of being able to go to another job that they consider to be better," adds Vanesa Frahija
The lack of workers in some sectors forces companies to apply measures temporarily to make job offers attractive. "First, ensure compliance with the agreement, which is not only that I work my working day and get paid a salary, but also respect safety measures, for example," she insists.
To conclude, she places special emphasis on the problem of transportation and housing. "To be able to guarantee that workers can reach certain stressed areas: either housing is facilitated or public transportation is improved on our island," she proposes.
