Mass strike by staff at citizen service offices in Palma

PalmStaff at Palma's Citizen Service Offices (OAC) and the 010 Telephone Information Service went on strike this Monday after negotiations with the City Council, which had been ongoing for over a year, broke down. The workers are demanding improvements in both service quality and working conditions. The strike saw massive participation, and workers also held a demonstration in Plaça de Santa Eulàlia, in front of City Hall. According to a member of the staff committee, which includes all the unions in the area, the strike was very well-attended and affected virtually all offices. All the OACs closed, except for the one in Plaça de Santa Eulàlia, which kept about four employees on duty until 12:45 pm, when it had to close due to the large number of people queuing.

From the ATAP collective, spokesperson Encarni Román asserts that the workers "are fed up and have said enough is enough." They demand that absences and vacancies be filled, and that training not fall solely on the staff of the Citizen Service Offices (OAC). "If we have to provide training, we need someone who works directly with the public; otherwise, everything slows down," she explained.

The unions also unanimously denounce the economic deadlock: they have been receiving the same bonus for 30 years, despite the collective agreement stipulating a higher amount. "Cort's offer is only to match the current bonus, and it's ridiculous," Román stated.

Furthermore, they point to structural problems that hinder service, such as the use of multiple computer systems that are not interconnected and that force them to duplicate tasks. "It takes us more than ten minutes to issue a registration certificate, while the user can obtain it in ten seconds," the ATAP representative pointed out.