The Labour Department has summoned the company and unions on Monday at 09:00 for a mediation meeting aimed at halting the indefinite strike at the public company Sóller 2010, set to begin that same day.
The labour tension at Sóller 2010 has reached a critical point. Dozens of employees gathered this Saturday in the square of Sóller to demand that the Town Hall unblock collective negotiations and prevent the indefinite strike starting this Monday. The public company, responsible for the ORA and other municipal services, faces last-minute mediation called by the Labour Department.
The Cut in Holiday Pay, the Trigger
The conflict erupted due to the management's decision to modify the compensation for worked holiday days. According to UGT, the staff has been paid for those days in the same way for over a decade, and the company now intends to cut that bonus. The unions estimate that maintaining the previous conditions would only cost 25,000 euros annually, an amount they consider manageable for the entity.
“This is not a budgetary problem, but one of pure stubbornness and pride,” the works committee claims, suspecting that there is an intention behind the standoff to deteriorate the service to justify privatisation. The staff fears that the Town Hall wants to outsource the service, something that has already occurred in other municipalities on the island.
The Lack of a Real Heat Protocol
Another key demand is the approval of a heat protocol that protects workers providing street service, especially the ORA operatives. Employees report that management refuses to accept union proposals to define clear measures in response to orange and red alerts for heatwaves, putting their health at risk.
The company, for its part, has denied permission to the operatives to attend the Saturday gathering during their lunch hour, which the committee describes as
“torpedoing constitutional rights”and undermines the dialogue narrative that management claims to uphold in front of the media.
Mediation at 09:00 on Monday
In light of the stalemate, the Labour Department has formally summoned the company and the committee for mediation next Monday at 09:00. The aim is to unblock the conflict immediately and prevent the indefinite strike from paralysing municipal services in Sóller.
For the residents of Sóller, a strike of this nature would mean the suspension of the ORA service and other municipal provisions, affecting the daily life of the municipality. The mediation by Labour is the last opportunity to reach an agreement before the strike becomes indefinite. The meeting will be crucial in determining whether the staff returns to their posts or if Sóller wakes up on Monday with the first pickets.
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