The City Council of Las Cabezas de San Juan has initiated proceedings for breach of contract against FCC, which could result in fines of up to 10% of the budget. The Council defends its mediation in the conflict and denies dismissals for striking.
The City Council of Las Cabezas de San Juan has initiated proceedings for breach of contract against the company FCC, which holds the concession for street cleaning and waste collection services. The decision, made this Wednesday by the Local Government Board, responds to the situation created by the strike that workers have maintained for weeks. The fines could reach a minimum of 25,000 euros and up to 10% of the contract budget, according to a statement from the Council.
Municipal mediation and minimum services
The Government Team claims to have acted "with discretion and respect" since the beginning of the conflict, promoting individual meetings and a joint working table between the company and the workers. In the statement, the City Council reiterates its support for the right to strike but reminds that "the obligations required by law must be fulfilled, such as the mandatory minimum services."
According to the Council, the workers have not provided the minimum services since the first day of the strike, as established by the Junta de Andalucía. Due to the accumulation of rubbish, the Health Inspection made an urgent visit at the request of the City Council and "informed us that the accumulation posed a real risk to human health". Therefore, the departure of two trucks in convoy was allowed to reduce the risk of unsanitary conditions.
Union elections and the future of the service
This Thursday, an electoral table was held to initiate the process of union elections, a measure that the City Council considers "the beginning of the solution" and which, it states, could not have been carried out without its mediation. The Council rules out an imminent remunicipalisation of the service because "it would mean bankruptcy for the Council due to the compensation that would have to be paid to FCC."
Regarding the accusations of dismissals for exercising the right to strike, the City Council categorically denies this. It states that the company has acted legally: it has issued disciplinary sanctions to workers who did not cover the minimum services and has hired a truck driver to carry out residual collection. In the case of the spokesperson for the workers, the Council assures that "she was notified of the opening of the proceedings weeks before the strike began, not for striking."
For the residents of Las Cabezas de San Juan, the situation remains complicated: the accumulation of waste in the streets affects public health and daily life. The City Council hopes that the union elections and the proceedings against FCC will help to resolve the conflict. Meanwhile, the Health Inspection continues to monitor the risk.
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