“18 days of strike and city councils and businesses still say nothing”
- The sports workers of Navarra are on strike in the last 18 days (two more were made in August). They work at the headquarters of the municipalities, but they work for subcontracted companies, so they have to negotiate with the latter. The strike is having a major impact, not least because it affects many citizens in daily or weekly sport.
This is a very dispersed sector which does not know the total number of workers, but which estimates that it will be some 2,000 workers. On Thursday they had their first contact with the employers' association Agedena, which has convened a meeting with the workers, but they have not agreed. Workers, among others, demand a wage increase based on CPI (6.6%) and companies propose an increase of 3.5%. CCOO, ELA, LAB and UGT support the strike.
They are dedicated to sports activities, such as clothing, maintenance or lifeguard, and are heard daily, among other things, in the streets of the towns of the County of Pamplona. This Friday at noon a meeting was held in the plaza of the City Hall of Pamplona, but it approached it and saw scattered groups, screaming but not groups: “Yes, we had a meeting, but we don’t have permission and we can’t meet as usual,” explains Oihana Erro and Beatriz Belasko. We have talked to them about the situation of the strike.
How are you?
R.I.: Bad. There are so many days of strike and city councils and businesses without saying anything. The situation is not good, but at the same time we are strong.
Vº Bº: Yes, and yesterday's meeting with companies so they don't say anything... Today, business attorney Javier Abiego re-meets the unions to see what goes out.
What are your demands?
It should be noted that the labour agreement has not been renewed since 2020. In addition, we have four main business blocks. On the one hand there is salary. We asked for 6.6%, the increase in CPI, and the employers only want to raise 3.5%.
B.B. As far as salaries are concerned, the situations are very different across our group, but, in general, one of the biggest problems is the shortage of working hours, and the tendency for companies – for example, in sport – to make new hiring for new sports, rather than dedicating those working hours to those who already have a 12-hour or 14-hour contract. Most of the people you see here, nobody's going to have a full day, and that forces us to live searching for another job or two. Therefore, instead of making new hiring, we call for more working hours for those who have fewer working hours.
Vº Bº Another claim is that of the lowering area. In our profession we practice a lot of sport, it is a very physical sector, and there are various injuries, or we get sick because we are in the pool at 20 degrees and then when we go out at 3... We requested 100% of the casualties from the first day.
B.B. They punish you for being sick. Furthermore, we currently have only one day off for our affairs. We ask for two.
Have they made petitions to municipalities?
Vº Bº There have been unions with some municipalities: Huarte, Burlada, Aranguren, Peralta... They say that companies apply the increase in CPI to municipalities, but then companies do not raise our wages to the same extent. The Zizur City Council, for example, requires in its requirements that the increase in the CPI requested for them be applied subsequently to workers, but not all the agreements are so.
B.B. In short, the ideal would be that at some point all these positions were municipal.
How do you perceive sports users? Do they tell you anything?
Vº Bº There is everything, but in general the great majority encourages us.
