“Some take painkillers to keep going”

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While the tourists relax carefree on the beach, they toil in the hotels: cleaning staff. The employees, called “Kelly’s” in Spain, vacuum rooms, scrub bathrooms and mop dirty floors.

In an interview with Spiegel, Sara del Mar García (53) talks about her daily life: she has to clean 24 rooms per shift. Breaks are often not possible, otherwise the work remains unfinished and unfinished.

Work pressure endangers health

Many of her colleagues, 95 percent female, would suffer physical consequences such as back or joint pain. Sometimes they even have to take painkillers to continue: “Many go on sick leave because they can no longer do it.”

Physically, the work is extremely hard. Mattresses had to be lifted onto beds, mountains of laundry had to be removed from the rooms and heavy carts full of cleaning supplies had to be wheeled around. She often has to make two or three new beds in each room. Then there are the reactions of people, who are not always friendly.

Many quit early

Despite everything, Sara del Mar García is proud of her job and the work she has done. She has been passionate about her work for 20 years and continues to resist the pressure.

That makes the Spaniard a rarity, because most people stop earlier. The 53-year-old has been fighting for years for more bearable working conditions in the “Union of Chambermaids in the Balearic Islands”.

Spanish government responds with tourist law

The Spanish government is now also aware of the abuses and has taken concrete measures. A new law states that hotels must exchange their beds for height-adjustable beds. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez (51) also pledged his support.

Furthermore, the trade union, government and hoteliers have drawn up a fixed formula that determines the number of beds to be cleaned. If a hotel has a large number of beds, more people should be hired.

Sara del Mar García believes these measures can work. Her wish is that Mallorca makes the leap from mass tourism to quality tourism. Work is enough anyway. (A)

Source: Blick