Mallorca hotel cleaners face early retirement wait

Mallorca’s hotel room cleaners face a wait for early retirement: a review announced in Palma, Mallorca, on Monday, 9 November, does not grant it to the roughly 33,000 cleaners across the Balearic Islands. Spanish minister Elma Saiz says the government will examine the physical toll of their work. The Mallorca Hotel Federation (FEHM) warns that studying the issue is not the same as approving earlier retirement.

Illness recognition is a separate step

Spain’s Council of Ministers has already started an urgent process to recognise more conditions affecting hotel room cleaners as occupational diseases. These include problems with shoulders, elbows, forearms and wrists. Carpal tunnel syndrome has been recognised as an occupational disease for these workers since 2018, a position backed by Spain’s Supreme Court in 2020.

The hotel federation says the cleaners’ health is a priority. But it cautions against treating recognition of work-related illness as a decision on pensions.

Early retirement process has not begun

Before early retirement can be approved, FEHM says, studies must examine accident rates and the demands of the job. An evaluation committee and Spain’s Council of State would then have to consider the case. That process takes months and has not yet started.

What Saiz has announced is a working group that will first look at working conditions. FEHM says the latest Balearic hospitality agreement already addresses those conditions in broad terms, alongside measures such as beds that can be raised and workload assessments.

The federation also questions the timing, with a general election due on 29 November. It says there is no legal route to approve early retirement for hotel room cleaners before then.

Topics: Jobs & labour · Health · Palma

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com