Unions continue indefinite strike called at Valencian Community’s ITV stations from 2 October This follows the failure to reach an agreement with the public company Sitval in the mediation event held at the Arbitration Court this Wednesday. Factories refused to give new managers a one-month margin. They doubt the legality of the agreement reached by workers’ representatives with the previous autonomous government.
As part of the ITV cancellation process carried out by Botànic, the unions signed the salary equalization agreement. approximately 1,500 workers at different stations will earn the same money. The process had to be carried out in stages, starting with the lowest earners. Approximately 300 employees, mostly from the province of Alicante and more specifically to the stations of Orihuela, Torrevieja, Pilar de la Horadada, Benidorm and the capital itself.
The agreement was supposed to be implemented in June, but it did not happen; Therefore, an indefinite strike has been called, starting next October 2. In the midst of all this, there was a change in regional management and a meeting was held last Monday, where Sitval’s board of directors was renewed and Javier López Mora was appointed general manager. A measure that, among other things, attempts to stop labor conflict.
However, discussions will continue No progress was made at the mediation event this Wednesday. The meeting was attended by Sitval’s current manager Josep Albert Quilis, who was still on duty when the transfer was completed, and the CC OO, UGT, Intersindical Valenciana and CSIF unions. As Pepe Cloquell from CC OO explains, «They told us to wait a month to look into the matter and talk again, but we understand that there is already more than enough time to fulfill the agreed upon agreement.. Additionally, our requests for a meeting have not been responded to in recent months.
Likewise, Cloquell underlined that 1.2 million people who will participate in the salary reviews have been budgeted and said, “Therefore, we do not understand what these delays are about. Agreements must be fulfilled.”
However, the company’s new managers have a different perspective. At first, they explain because they were not aware that a conciliation action was planned for this Wednesday, and on the other hand, there were doubts about the legality of the agreement.
Minister of Innovation, Industry, Trade and Tourism Nuria Montes, who is also Sitval’s president, claims to be surprised by the company’s situation. “The unions on the board voted to give us a month to catch up and the next day they approved the strike,” he laments. Likewise, he adds that a manager currently at the company stated: The employment contract is invalid because there are no necessary reports and budget allocation.. “What we want, he says, is accountability, because legally they could put us all in a very complicated situation. “What we want is to do things right from the beginning.”