Comisiones Obreras Lanzarote has denounced this Tuesday the "critical" situation in which the island's dependency services find themselves. Specifically, it has pointed to the residences managed by the company Amavir and has warned that the situation is "unsustainable and alarming"
The union has warned that "the deterioration of the facilities and the management of the services are violating fundamental rights, both of the workers and of the users themselves who receive the service."
“We are facing an absolute abandonment. The most vulnerable people on our island, our elderly and dependents, are being cared for in facilities that are falling apart, with poor nutrition in many cases and without the medical and therapeutic care they need by medical prescription. And to this must be added the labor exploitation to which the staff is being subjected”, CCOO of Lanzarote has indicated, with knowledge.
From Comisiones Obreras de Lanzarote they have added that the residences "have gone years without receiving adequate maintenance". Thus, they have assured that "this abandonment translates into a degraded environment that hinders the daily work of the workers and that threatens the quality of life of the residents". "To this lack of structural maintenance is added the absence of essential material resources to guarantee minimum dignity," they have highlighted.
The union has assured that there are several shortcomings in these centers, such as: the scarcity of bedding, where users are forced to sleep on many occasions without adequate conditions due to the lack of sheets and blankets; the lack of toiletries, such as towels: the absence of articulated or adjustable beds that affect users and workers; and a "poor diet and medical services below minimums".
"There are days when there is nothing to dry the users with and, in a humiliating situation, they have to be dried with sheets for not having material. We also find children's size towels for adults, which is completely undignified", they have denounced from Comisiones Obreras.
Lack of healthcare staff, of assistants, and of materials
In this regard, he has pointed out that one of the "most critical" points of this complaint focuses on the quality of the meal service, especially in Amavir residences. Comisiones Obreras has assured that the food is "poor and of bad quality", and what it considers "most serious" is that "the diets prescribed by doctors are not respected". “There are users who are not receiving the specific food they need for their pathologies. This is an attack on their health and a non-compliance with medical prescriptions,” the union has warned.
In health matters, the union has warned of the absence of a permanent doctor, who provides their service full-time. "Currently they have only one female doctor and when she is absent due to vacation, sick leave or absence, her position is not covered, leaving the residents without continuous medical assistance", it has warned.
At the same time, it has pointed out that the rehabilitation and physiotherapy service is "insufficient" and "scarce". "Users do not receive physiotherapy sessions in the quantity and frequency they need," they have highlighted.
A "casualized" staff
Another of the points denounced by the trade union organization is the working conditions of the staff of the residences, which they have pointed out is "precarious" and that they suffer from "work overload".
CCOO has warned that behind "this collapse in the service" lies an irresponsible labor management based on precariousness". The union has added that there is a "notable lack of staff" in all centers.
“The majority of the staff is contracted part-time, which prevents continuous and quality care", it highlighted. Furthermore, the company has warned that "it does not cover sick leave, holidays, or contract suspensions. The workers who are present have to assume the burden of those who are absent, working at full tilt to cover the gaps of a staff that is insufficient from the beginning”.
"The straw that breaks the camel's back, is the usual practice of making employees work 30 minutes more than their workday without this time being computed or remunerated as effective work", CCOO has added.
CCOO of Lanzarote has demanded from the service concessionaire companies, in particular from Amavir, and also from the Cabildo de Lanzarote, which is the competent administration, to take immediate measures to solve these problems, to carry out controls and to sanction the responsible companies.
"It is impossible to continue like this," the union has warned, which has highlighted that there are residences on the island where the elderly "sleep without sheets, eat poorly, have no doctor and are attended by a burnt-out and exploited staff." Along these lines, it has demanded "a shock plan" to improve the facilities, provide these spaces with basic material and an increase in qualified personnel, with the "immediate coverage of all absences and the cessation of illegal practices,"
Finally, it has warned that they do not rule out mobilizations or denouncing if the situation is not reversed in the coming days.