The workers of the car rental company Click&Rent in Ibiza have concentrated this Wednesday in front of the company’s headquarters to denounce that some employees receive salaries below the minimum interprofessional wage (SMI) and to warn that they do not rule out calling a strike if the company does not agree to negotiate. The protest took place simultaneously in Ibiza and Palma and was supported by about thirty employees in the Balearic Islands as a whole.
As explained by the secretary of Union Action of the Federation of Services, Mobility and Consumer Affairs of UGT, José Manuel Peces, the workforce “has exploded” in the face of a situation they consider untenable, especially in the lowest categories of the collective agreement. The mobilization in Ibiza took place at 10:10 a.m. and is part of a first union action to force the company to sit down to negotiate.
Pressure to stop mobilization
The union has denounced that the company had tried to intimidate workers to prevent their participation in the protest, which, according to UGT, has limited attendance. “The participation was lower than expected because many employees were unable to attend due to internal pressures,” said Peces.
Even so, the union considers that this concentration is the first step in a labor conflict that could escalate if there is no progress. “We are open to dialogue and we want to negotiate, but if there is no will, we will call an assembly to decide whether to go on strike,” warned the union leader.
Strike also on the table in summer
Although an eventual strike would have a limited impact during the winter months, when the rent a car activity decreases, UGT does not rule out moving the conflict to the high season. “It can also be done in summer, when the impact would be greater,” said Peces, in reference to the importance of the car rental sector on a tourist island like Ibiza.
The union has also criticized Click&Rent’s refusal to negotiate with the UGT advisor, to whom the company has reportedly imposed a “veto”, which hinders any progress in resolving the conflict.
Wages below minimum wage
The main reason for the protest is the company’s wage policy, since, according to UGT, workers in the lowest categories are paid less than the SMI. The company is aware of this situation, but instead of raising base salaries, it supplements salaries with extras to reach the legal minimum, a practice that the union considers irregular.
In addition, the workers’ representatives denounce that the company does not pay variable allowances during vacation periods, despite existing jurisprudence, and that it does not recognize the professional category of the drivers, which has a direct impact on their working conditions. “This company goes it alone,” said Peces.
The labor conflict at Click&Rent in Ibiza adds to other tensions in the tourism and services sector of the island, a key area for the local economy and on which La Voz de Ibiza has been reporting continuously.
