The Union of Trade Unions of Angra do Heroísmo (USAH) denounced this Wednesday a two-month delay in the payment of salaries to cleaning employees of the Aerogare das Lajes, in the Azores, demanding changes in the public contracting of the companies.
There are about 10 people in this situation, without payment since May and, in some cases, with the vacation subsidy receivable. The contract is about to end and we fear that this situation will last much longer,” said the USAH coordinator, Vítor Silva, at a press conference at the Aerogare Civil das Lajes, on Terceira Island.
According to the union leader, the terminal, managed by the Regional Government of the Azores, is complying with the contract, but the cleaning company did not pay the salaries for June and Julynor the realization of bonuses for Social Security.
We are facing an unfortunate and shameful situation. A company that practically does not exist. It is almost impossible to contact the company, there is only one phone number. It is a very worrying situation.”
Vítor Silva said that the company does not have representatives in the Azores and does not answer to the union.
I tried six or seven different email contacts and got no response. We are even aware of situations in which even the court itself has difficulty contacting this company”, he reinforced.
For the USAH coordinator, “solutions must be found as soon as possibleto solve this case, but it is necessary to prevent the recurrence of other similar situations, which he said are “constant” in the cleaning and janitorial and surveillance sectors.
The trade unionist proposed that public entities in the Azores, such as Aerogare Civil das Lajes, include a clause in the contract that excludes companies that do not fulfill their responsibilities.
“When hiring, we have to make sure that the companies that win the tenders are companies that, from the social point of view, have granted loans. Situations like this cannot happen.”
Vítor Silva highlighted “the Inspection itself [Regional] do Trabalho has some difficulties in dealing with the number of cases that appear”, linked to the cleaning and janitorial and surveillance sectors.
The solution, from a technical and legal point of view, is always possible. There is another situation that has to do with costs, but I think it has to go into the background, safeguarding other situations that are extremely important, “he defended.
The trade unionist said he is going to “try to meet as soon as possiblewith the address of the terminal, to try to find a solution, pointing out that the entity “is not to blame” and “has always done its best”.
Despite wage arrears, employees continue to “do their duties,” largely due to fear of being fired for just cause and ordered the payment of compensation to the company.
“We are talking about people who have families, who have bills at the end of the month and who have to pay those bills and, at this moment, they are in an extremely complicated situation,” stressed Vítor Silva.
Armanda Toste has been working for 23 years As a cleaning worker at Aerogare Civil das Lajes, she has already been hired by three companies, but she says that the situation has never worsened as much as it has in the last three years.
“I am finishing my vacations and neither a coat of arms nor my salary for the month of June. The month of July is coming to an end, do not pay. Who pays our bills?” she asked.
Despite having received pay stubs and vacations, the last salary he received was referring to the month of May and they only have Social Security discounts made until April.
“We went to talk to the airport management, they say they can’t do anything,” he revealed.
Living alone, she says that she has had the help of her children, now adults, but remembers that there are colleagues with small children and a house to pay for.
Source: Observadora
