A former waiter denounces under-the-table payments at a bar in Arenal because he allegedly encouraged unionization.

PalmA waiter at a well-known bar in Arenal, frequented by German tourists, has been fired and has revealed in a labor lawsuit, to which ARA Baleares has had access, that the establishment allegedly had an under-the-table payment system. The bar worker has filed a lawsuit with the Labor Court seeking moral damages and requesting that the dismissal be declared null and void or, alternatively, unfair. According to his account, the company dismissed him as part of a "strategy" to halt the unionization process among the staff, as he planned to promote union elections representing the UGT (General Union of Workers). According to the affected worker, shortly before receiving his dismissal letter, members of management made a threatening comment about a relative of his, a well-known union member on the island, which—he maintains—demonstrates their awareness of the union activity that was developing within the company.

The dismissal was justified by alleged fraudulent activity stemming from a supposed cash register discrepancy on September 13th and 14th, 2025. The employee categorically denies this and emphasizes that there is no concrete evidence against him. Furthermore, he underlines that the company allowed him to continue working until the end of the season, which he considers incompatible with serious misconduct such as that alleged.

The affected employee attributes this situation to a payment system he describes as "archaic, insecure, and completely subjective" for the workers. He explains that no receipts were issued at the tables, and the waitstaff recorded orders in handwritten notebooks and collected payment directly from customers in cash using a money belt. "Paying by card or electronic systems is prohibited; only cash is accepted," he points out.

At the end of each shift, the cashier and the waiters would tally up the difference. Any leftover money was considered tips, but if there was a shortfall, the waiter had to cover the difference with their own money or with tips received.

The worker also alleges that he was coerced into signing a voluntary resignation under threat of being reported to the Civil Guard, and that he was offered a lesser sanction to avoid a formal disciplinary proceeding. However, he insisted on defending himself through labor channels and requested that proceedings be initiated.

In the lawsuit, filed as a permanent seasonal worker covered by the Balearic Islands hospitality collective agreement, the employee reveals an alleged widespread system of under-the-table payments. Despite having a contract for 40 hours per week, he claims that he routinely worked 48 hours or more, a practice that, he asserts, affected more than one hundred workers. Some, he indicates, would even work double shifts and every day of the week without respecting legal rest periods.

For each day off worked, he explains that they were paid 100 euros in cash, and for each extra hour and a half per day, 18.75 euros, which could amount to up to 1,100 euros per month in undeclared bonuses for each employee. According to his calculations, this would represent more than 110,000 euros per month paid under the table, a figure that could lead—as he points out in the lawsuit—to possible crimes against the Public Treasury, Social Security, and workers' rights.

The affected party's lawyer, Pablo Alonso de Caso, argues that it makes no sense for the company to allow an employee who was allegedly committing fraud to continue working. According to him, the alleged facts "are false," imprecise, and cause serious defenselessness, since the dismissal letter does not specify either the amounts or the alleged economic damages. Finally, the affected party maintains that his dismissal is direct retaliation for having promoted the unionization of the workforce and the calling of union elections at the establishment.