The workers of the Consorci de Biblioteques de Barcelona begin today at 6:00 p.m. an indefinite strike and thus join the strike called on February 5 by employees of nursery schools, social services and Oficines d"Atenció a la Ciutadania. The first planned protest will be the occupation of the Sarrià library this Monday at 6:45 p.m.
The call comes from the Comitè d"Empresa del Consorci de Biblioteques de Barcelona and has the union backing of CGT and Intersindical, who demand decent working conditions to guarantee the quality of the service. The conflict arrives after weeks of tension over the working conditions in the municipal library network.
Labor claims and criticism of management
Among the main demands is the equalization of working conditions with those of the rest of the staff of the Barcelona City Council. They also ask for a supplement for direct attention to citizens and a specific protocol to act in the face of possible situations of violence in the workplace.
The staff representatives place among the causes of the strike the opening of new libraries with minimal endowments, the lack of investment, the suppression of the TIC support service and the outsourcing of public services. The committee maintains that the current model is straining the daily operation of the facilities.
"For the moment, the company is not letting us negotiate. They come with the package closed, with their proposal blocked. And that is why it is very difficult and we have started these mobilizations" - Montse Serra, delegate of the Comitè d"Empresa del Consorci de Biblioteques de Barcelona
Calendar of mobilizations in Barcelona
The protest this Monday at the Sarrià library will be the first visible gesture of a calendar that already foresees new strike days next Saturdays. Acts are also announced coinciding with the Sant Jordi proclamation and with the April 23rd day, one of the dates of greatest activity in the city and in the library network.
The mobilizations could extend during May and even coincide with the selectivity period if no progress is made in the negotiation. The committee's warning anticipates a scenario of sustained conflict in one of the proximity cultural services with the most implementation in the neighborhoods of Barcelona.
The negotiation remains open
For its part, the Consorci de Biblioteques de Barcelona maintains that conversations remain open. The management assures that work is being done on the implementation of the 35-hour workday to favor conciliation and also on the functionalization of the staff.
With this new front, the strike started in February expands its scope within municipal services. Attention is now focused on the Sarrià protest and on the parties' ability to redirect a negotiation which, at this hour, remains without agreement.