"We are talking about close to 800 euros with 12 hours of work." These are the working conditions that many security guards in Lanzarote have, according to the president of Aviselanz, Gabriel Barrios. "Mainly our biggest problem right now is that we are working too many hours and the salary is getting lower and lower," he denounces.
According to Barrios, "almost all companies are in a separate agreement to the state one, that is, they have their own agreement and set the salary that interests them." Therefore, he affirms that when "a service is contracted to these 'low cost' companies, or as we call them, 'pirate companies', they cling to the agreement that interests them".
"For example, if I take a service to a company for a sum of money and, so that another company doesn't take it from me, I lower it even more, we pay the consequence," explained the president of Aviselanz, who does not rule out having to call a strike. And it is that he maintains that security guards work more every day for "less money and with undignified conditions." "If you are lucky and enter a company that is not 'pirate', you can earn a thousand euros," he adds.
Regarding the conditions in which they work, he pointed out that these guards do "12-hour shifts", in addition to "practically almost all services are at night". However, Gabriel Barrios has pointed out that there are differences, since many are in charge of leisure places and others work in institutional services, such as the Cabildo or the prison. Therefore, he explains that "there are colleagues who are earning well, but there are other colleagues who are doing badly, very badly."
"We went to Madrid to say 'enough is enough'"
Gabriel Barrios highlighted that the group in Lanzarote supported this request to improve conditions in Madrid. "We ourselves went to the demonstration on June 27. We went to say 'enough is enough', because we can't take it anymore," said the president of Aviselanz. In this sense, Barrios explained that "around 1,100 guards gathered at the concentration, without unions, without anything", and that they demonstrated on a route that took them from Plaza de España, passing through Gran Vía and to Puerta del Sol. "The truth is that it had a good impact, we appeared in national media and the truth is that it was a great success," he declared.
Regarding a possible response to the demonstration, Barrios assured that they are "waiting for the table that regulates the state agreement to meet", for which they still do not have a date. "Our idea is, if this continues like this, we will have to go on strike," declared the security guard, adding that they are "going to try by all means to stop this, because it is unsustainable."
According to Barrios, right now in Lanzarote "there may be about 600-800 security guards", because "many have had to leave this sector" due to the conditions. Regarding Aviselanz, created to give voice to these professionals, the president in Lanzarote affirms that right now they have few members and are trying to expand it. "Being a non-profit association, we are practically subsisting right now with those who set it up, that is, with the board of directors, putting up banners, trying to subsist, which is already too complicated," he related.
