Limpiar hasta 20 o 30 habitaciones de hotel en ocho horas no es un trabajo inofensivo. La repetición a toda prisa de movimientos —agacharse para recoger ropa, doblar sábanas, hacer la cama, fregar suelos, limpiar cristales— suele dejar lesiones. “Trabajas a destajo. No tienes tiempo casi ni de beber o comer. Enfermas de gastritis, sientes estrés y migrañas. Te agachas, te levantas: lumbago, dolor de brazos y hombros. Todo el aparato muscular y óseo termina estropeado. El médico te va recetando pastillas. Con cincuenta y pico ya estás totalmente rota”, asegura Míriam, miembro de Las Kellys, la asociación de camareras de piso que adoptó el nombre despectivo que tantas veces oían —las que limpian—. Esta plataforma quiere ahora tomar la iniciativa y prepara un portal de reservas solo para hoteles justos.
The Kellys, who for years have starred in protests to demand improvements, appeal to individual responsibility.For this, they have devised the central application of Kellys reserves, a kind of booking with which to offer the consumer establishments that meet the requirements established by the association.The project is still in embryonic phase.The drivers, who seek financing by micromelezgo, have now obtained 30,000 euros, half of the minimum they need to begin with.Despite the illusion it generates in the collective, the solidarity booking of the Kellys has also raised misgivings and skepticism.
Míriam, 47, is one of the flags of the battle against the outsourcing of hotels cleaning services, a practice that was intensified with the 2012 labor reform and that the Kellys identify as the time at which their working conditions, which were already precarious, they became wild.They consider that the cleaning and order of the rooms, being an essential service of the hotels, cannot be outsourced.This is one of the requirements that mark to consider “fair” the establishment.So are the adequacy of the workload, the prevention of injuries or the promotion of the hiring of vulnerable groups."We are a sick collective, and to which you get bad no longer hired you," explains Vania Arana, spokesman for the platform."The idea is that whoever wants to come on vacation can reserve directly with us," she summarizes.
This vision of outsourcing is not shared by all.Not only among hotels, but also among the majority unions.CC OO and UGT regret that this association has promoted a central of their own reservations when they have been developing a similar project with the University of Malaga called Fairhotels.es, which has the approval of the Government, but that was paralyzed with the pandemic.The unions are skeptical with the Kellys project: “First, because it is very complicated.It is a tremendous wingspan and the money they are asking for does not give at all.Second, because you need entrepreneurs to be.And third, because they ask that the services not externalize, but unfortunately the law allows it, ”says Gonzalo Fuentes, federal head of hospitality and tourism of CC OO.
The platform promoted by the unions will include hotels that, despite outsource of the floor waitresses, apply the sector agreement, which often does not happen.70% of hospitality agreements are blocked by employers.“Entrepreneurs are short -term, they want to recover the lost money in the pandemic.And although they have an interesting future with recovery, they will not improve conditions, ”adds Fuentes.
Balearic Islands, Andalusia or the Canary Islands have renewed sector agreements that prevail over that of multiservice companies.In Catalonia, an extension of the 2017 agreement was also approved in September last year., of CC oo.“Madrid is the other face of the currency.The agreement is without negotiating.A waitress hired at the hotel can have their rights and salary of 1,300 euros.And that she works next to a subcontractive with minimum wage, ”explains Fuentes.The director of the Hotel Guild of Barcelona, Manel Casals, affirms that if the agreement is respected, although there are outsourcing, "there is no conflict."And it remains importance to the Kellys project."And even more coming from a group that has used the threat and insult during all this time," he ditch.
Waiting for the quality seal
Carmen Casín, Azón de Apartment in a hotel in Madrid and member of the Sectorial Directorate of Lodging in UGT, highlights that in four years 42 Multiservice Companies Agreements have been canceled, to which the Sectorial Sector Agreement of Hospitality has been forced to apply.Now low due to the breakage of a tendon at work, she claims the union presence and the work side by side with all floor waitresses, also with the Kellys.“Its reservation center is a good initiative.But it is something that we are developing for a long time and works in the United States, Canada or Sweden, ”she explains.
Míriam's journey resembles that of many companions.She arrived from Ecuador in 1999 and got to work in hotels.She at first had to clean and prepare 11 rooms in eight hours, a ratio that can now triple.“It's inhuman, nobody can do it in time.Then extra hours are not paid, ”she says.And all for a salary that, if it is not regulated by the hospitality agreement, may depend on the number of rooms made (at 1.5 euros the room, Míriam denounces) or it can be the minimum, just over 950 euros per month.Pandemia has further put this group against the strings, since many of them, when working for the season, have not been able to benefit from the ERT in all this time.
The Association already achieved in 2018 that the Catalan Parliament approved without any vote against a motion of support to the so -called “Quality Seal for a fair work”, a distinctive with which they intend to reward hotels that meet the requirements.But in three years the initiative has not been carried out.“Neither here in Catalonia El Government, nor in Spain the government, nobody has done absolutely nothing.They told us themselves once: who commands is the employer.That is why we decided to boost the reservation center.If they are not going to develop the seal, we will do it, ”explains the spokeswoman for the Kellys.
