The Kellys Lanzarote Association, which includes the hotel cleaning ladies, held its first protest this Monday in front of a hotel establishment on the island. The chosen one was the Barceló Teguise Beach hotel, located on the Costa Teguise promenade, where about thirty people gathered.
"This hotel, like many others on the island, constantly violates the provincial hospitality agreement and tramples on the rights of its workers on a daily basis, especially those of the cleaning ladies," the group denounces. According to them, "businessmen try to satisfy their clients, but they forget about their workers, who are the ones who face those clients", whom they "constantly pamper in every gesture", "despite their precarious work situation".
Las Kellys also recall that "in the years of the supposed crisis, the hotel occupancy rate on the island has been growing, as have the total income of the hotel sector and employment." However, they denounce that "productivity has decreased in proportion to the number of workers. Why? Have you asked yourselves?", they question.
"A situation of constant precariousness"
Among other things, Las Kellys denounce that the cleaning ladies of Lanzarote "work 5 or 6 hours, with a workload equal to (or greater than) that of colleagues hired for 8 hours"; that "they have no break to eat and often cannot go to the bathroom"; that "they lose the right to enjoy vacations due to their temporary contracts"; that "they live in a situation of constant precariousness"; that "they cannot reconcile their work with their family life" and that "they do not have the right to get sick, and if they suffer any physical discomfort as a result of work, they run the risk of losing their job".
For all these reasons, they affirm that they have decided to "say enough is enough", and that they will not stop "until the working situation of the kellys improves". Thus, they anticipate that this Monday's protest in front of the Barceló hotel in Costa Teguise is "the first of many acts" that will begin from now on. "We will only stop when the hotels end outsourcing and start respecting the rights of the cleaning ladies," they warn.
In addition, they point out that "tourists have every right to know the working situation of those who worry and strive daily to ensure that they can have an unforgettable vacation." In fact, during the event they spoke with some of the tourists who entered and left the establishment. "Hotels and agencies are selling luxury services without treating those who ensure that these services are perfect with dignity," they conclude.
