Train drivers in Mallorca will decide on Monday whether to call for work stoppages
The committee has deemed it "essential" to address the issue from a perspective specific to the Balearic Islands and that takes into account the specific reality of SFM.
PalmThe works council of Mallorca Railway Services (SFM) has called a general assembly of workers for next Monday to assess the possibility of calling work stoppages and other pressure tactics to demand safety guarantees. The meeting comes days after the train accidents in Adamuz (Córdoba), in which at least 43 people lost their lives, and in Gelida (Barcelona), where a train driver died, as well as shortly after the Spanish Union of Railway Drivers (Semaf) announced a strike. According to a statement from the SFM works council, the assembly will serve to analyze the current situation and evaluate measures that guarantee "real safety, adequate maintenance, and safe working conditions."
The committee has stressed that it is "essential" to address the issue from the Balearic Islands' own perspective, taking into account the specific reality of SFM (Santiago de Compostela), "regardless of decisions made at the national level and always within the framework of union unity." In statements to Europa Press, the committee explained that a group of unions will meet at the national level this Thursday and that, if this meeting results in an agreement to join forces and go on strike, train drivers in Mallorca will be able to participate.
Deep concern for railway safety
The committee has expressed its "deep concern" regarding the state of railway safety throughout the country following the accidents, which highlight the consequences of a lack of investment, maintenance, and prevention. Although the accidents did not occur in the Balearic Islands, the committee maintains that neither the archipelago nor SFM (Santiago de Compostela) is immune to this situation. They have been repeatedly denouncing "safety problems, deficiencies in the maintenance of infrastructure and rolling stock, and recurring incidents and accidents" for months. Furthermore, they emphasized that many of these incidents do not always become public knowledge, but they endanger both workers and users of rail services in Mallorca. The committee lamented that the public complaints were not addressed with the necessary urgency or responsibility, demonstrating that these are not isolated incidents, but rather a structural situation requiring immediate action.
