Andorra la VellaThe drivers of Coopalsa threaten to go on strike if they do not return to the working conditions they had before with intensive schedules and they also demand a suitable working environment. They criticize that the company does not provide them with a place where they can be in the moments between shifts.
They report working days of more than eleven and twelve hours, with three different work shifts in a single day and one holiday per week. These are some of the conditions reported by the Coopalsa works committee delegates that have pushed them to the limit. They are clear that if the situation is not resolved they will go on strike, he said Andorra Television.
This Thursday they were at the Ministry of Labor with their lawyer and the administrative and legal representatives of the company, in a conciliation act that did not turn out as they expected. They have only managed to get the company to recognize them for 10 of the 15 minutes they invest in changing shifts at the stops and which was now not counted as work.
“They don’t care about the drivers”
Marcelo Orieta, member of the company committee of Coopals, has indicated that “the next step will be the strike. We have the right We want to be able to work with peace of mind and not in 12-13 hour days at the company’s disposal and wandering around Andorra.” Add that “we transport 70 people per trip, that’s a lot. And we do it tired, in a bad mood. It is not feasible. I apologize to the passengers who sometimes board the bus and do not receive a friendly response.” He points out that he thinks the company saves money with this policy and “it doesn’t care about the well-being of the drivers”.
Nicolas Sarmientomember of the Coopalsa works committee, says that they cannot have a good rest with these conditions: “The work of a driver is risky and a lot of responsibility because we transport people”, adds They represent 74 workers out of the hundred drivers who cover all intercity bus lines, except for those on the Escaldes-Sant Julià route operated at Christmas.