WINTER OF DISCONTENT

Yesterday morning, a convoy of 52 vehicles carrying angry private health sector staff embarked on a “go slow” through Palma causing rush hour traffic chaos.

The protest, which is to be followed by work-to-rules for two hours every morning and evening, was staged after talks to improve working conditions broke down last week after 11 months of negotiations.

Private health sector staff representatives Jorge Vera said yesterday that private health care workers are tired of being considered and treated as “cheap labour” and are demanding better consideration and working conditions.

The UGT General Workers Union spokesperson Mundita Bustins said that turn out and backing for yesterday's protest was “more than satisfactory.” Bustins also said that yesterday afternoon, pickets were mounted at a number of private clinics to inform colleagues of the work-to-rules which start this morning, urging them to turn up for work without their uniform and to clock-off when they finish work so the unions can control the hours each employee is having to work.

Yesterday's convoy left the Carrefour car park in General Riera at 9.30 and made a brief stop at the Clínica Palma Planas, Policlínica Miramar, Clínica Juaneda, Clínica Femenía, Clínica Rotger and Red Cross hospital before ending with a rally at the San Juan de Dios hospital.

Bustins explained yesterday that from this morning, two-hour stoppages will start indefinitely and protests will be held outside the main entrances to the private clinics from tomorrow.

The stoppages will be from 9:30 to 11:30am and from 6 to 8 and the first protest rally will be held outside the Clinic Rotger tomorrow and will continue on every Tuesday and Thursday until the dispute is resolved.

The key stumbling blocks are wage increases, overtime pay and length of service pay.
Secretary General of the CCOO Workers' Commission health executive, Manel García, accused management of blocking negotiations while accusing them of investing huge amounts of money on new hospitals but failing to pay staff what they deserve.

Staff are asking for a four percent wage increase, management are only prepared to go as far as 2.4 percent and the union are refusing to accept this. Union bosses are calling for overtime pay to apply to staff working Sundays and public holidays.

A team of 55 local fire fighters travel to Madrid this week as representatives of Balearic fire fighters to join calls for better retirement packages and improved health and safety standards while union bosses yesterday claimed that the Balearic education service is in chaos with part time and auxiliary staff having to work under immense pressure caused by staff accepting better paid administrative jobs in other areas of the public sector.