Opinion of the strike committee of the residence: «These attitudes only serve so that the conflicts are growing and spreading»

With the support of the nursing assistants to the strike, it is already the vast majority of the nursing team at our center who share our demands. The health personnel represent more than 70% of the center's workforce, and we are more than 40 people who take turns, so that at all times, 24 hours a day and 365 days a year, our elders are cared for and have a doorbell to call.

Door of the Santa Llúcia residence

Nurses are exercising a fundamental right enshrined in our constitution; In response, the City Council has sent us individual notifications with their legal arguments against our claims. In short: a NO to everything. That if washing uniforms in the laundry center is against the general state budget, that if hiring one more nurse would violate the replacement rate; On the other hand, their proposals, such as the stratospheric increase in the salary of the director of the Residence who signs this report, are not a problem for budgetary stability.

At least, it must be valued that, a week after the strike was called, the mayor has agreed to meet with the legal representatives of the Strike Committee next Monday, because regardless of legal considerations, it is common sense that Conflicts are resolved through dialogue and closer positions between the affected parties, not by enclosing oneself in an ivory tower, nor by denying reality. These attitudes only serve to keep conflicts growing and spreading. Our first objective with the strike call was to be listened to and allowed to express our point of view and our proposals, arguing why we believe they are necessary; That first step seems to have been achieved. We will go to that meeting with a desire for dialogue, from humility and serenity, united by the effort we have shared during the pandemic, expanding support and defending our essential role in a public model of quality care.

Nursing assistants support their colleagues' strike and plan to join

The nursing assistants of the staff of the Santa Lucía residence want to express the following:

• We are the largest group of the center's workforce, made up of more than 30 workers and those who spend the most time in direct contact with residents. During the last 7 months we have made a great professional and personal effort to face the pandemic in our center, trying to protect the health of our elders.
• We sympathize with the demands of the nurses, which are also ours, that is, we want our professional career to be recognized in an effective way, to be offered an adequate training plan, the washing of uniforms in the center, that we are credited or compensated as such for the overtime that we perform and the voluntary exemption of nights from 55 years of age. We also consider that an investment plan should be approved in the Residence to have the adequate infrastructures for the best care.
• In addition to these claims, we remind you that for years we have been subclassified as group C2, when, as you know from the qualification required of us as a medium-level technician in auxiliary nursing care, the legislation requires them to classify us as group C1. This is discrimination and an internal comparative offense, since in any other municipal agency with the same degree we would be group C1.
• We declare that if we do not attend to our demands, we propose to join the nurses and exercise our legitimate right to strike.