The Secrets Lanzarote hotel, belonging to the Hesperia chain, has responded to the complaint made by a group of foreign students in internships and by Comisiones Obreras and has denied having abandoned these young people after the state of alarm was decreed. "They showed no willingness to return to their country," they say from the hotel.
Thus, although those affected claim that they have not been able to return to Guatemala due to the closure of borders and accuse the hotel of having left them on the street, without giving them any kind of help, and of having given them an "inhumane" treatment, the property maintains that it did "everything it had to do" and that it fulfilled "its responsibility as a company", making arrangements with the Embassy, as responsible for repatriations in these cases.
According to the version that they have transferred to La Voz from the hotel, in total there were 22 students in internships and 14 returned to their country, but eight "decided to stay". "Although Hesperia did everything in its power to facilitate contact with the Embassy to organize their return, they ignored these efforts," they point out.
"No legal or labor obligation"
For its part, Comisiones Obreras denies this version and affirms that they have asked the company to provide "proof" that they were actually offered a flight to return to their country. In addition, they assure that they have emails that the University of Guatemala sent to the hotel, "asking it not to leave these students helpless on the street", since they were staying at the hotel under the internship agreement, which established that they would receive accommodation and food, along with a remuneration of 200 euros per month.
Regarding the students who did return to their country, CCOO points out that some left because they had already finished the training period and had reserved their flights before the state of alarm was decreed and the borders were closed. However, from the hotel they insist that everyone could have left, although they have not specified in what conditions, since they insist that it depends on the Embassy of their country.
In addition, they emphasize that after the closure of the hotel they were allowed to stay in the facilities for two weeks, until the end of March, "in a gesture of absolute good will". And it is that they allege that at that time they had "no legal or labor obligation" with these students, since their contract "expired" when the activity of the hotel ceased with the state of alarm.
Denies that they were told they could stay
The property also denies having initially told them that they could stay in the establishment, as these young people maintain, and assure that from the beginning they were informed that they should organize their return. Therefore, they argue that after giving them two weeks, they indicated that they should leave the hotel.
In addition, they assure that since then they had not heard from them again, so they affirm that they have been surprised that this Monday they have made this complaint public. In this case, the version clashes again with that of Comisiones Obreras, which maintains that in recent days it has been in contact with the hotel management to address this issue, after having recently learned of the situation, through its union representatives.
From CCOO they also point out that the company already gave them this same version, about that the decision to stay was voluntary, but they insist that they have not provided them with evidence, and also that the circumstances of each intern were not the same. In the case of those who remain on the island, they affirm that they have been maintained thanks to the "solidarity" of their hotel colleagues, who have housed them in their homes and have even made a collection to raise money so that they can support themselves.
