On January 26th and on March 4th, strike in social services sector of the Basque Country in defence and recognition of care works
For years we have been denouncing the situation of social services. A system of restricted access, with co-payment, with public responsibility but mostly in private hands, in which profits take precedence over the quality of services, which hinges on the precarious conditions of the workers. There is a shortage of staff, a lack of adequate preventive measures and insufficient compensation.
The pandemic has highlighted two issues. First of all, the centrality of social services for the maintenance of life and therefore the fundamental care function carried out by all working people in this sector. On the other hand, the lack of recognition of the care function and all the weaknesses of the social and care services system, which is based on few people’s business at the expense of the health of users and the poor conditions working conditions.
Workers and users are constantly denouncing this situation, as the firm commitment of the Basque Government, the Provincial Councils and the municipal authorities to defend a model of privately managed social services without adequate regulation, which does not care, but rather abandons.
The pandemic and its consequences on people’s health and lives reaffirm the need to build a new care model through the creation of a Basque, public, universal, free, with quality and directly managed system, based and with the only rule on people, both those in need of care and those who provide it, as they are the fundamental axis of care.
Today we have taken to the streets and on 4 March we will take to the streets again to demand the following one:
- It is necessary publify every social services, subrogating all workers.
- A quality service must be guaranteed to all those who need it; facilitating and promoting access to the social services system; guaranteeing the set of benefits to which users are entitled in the form of services; substantially increasing the intensity of the services and the time of attention to each user. Personal autonomy should be favoured over welfare, as well as relations with the community environment and the social integration of all people.
- The information and participation of users and workers in shaping social services at all levels must be strengthened.
- Immediately, the working conditions of the workers must be substantially improved, compensating them for the essential role played by a sector that is largely feminised. The number of workers must be increased, in person and by category. The health of workers must be protected by properly assessing the risks and adopting the necessary preventive measures to this end.
- All social services must be regulated in compliance with the Basque Parliament’s requirement, through the drafting and approval of the corresponding Decrees, with the participation of users and workers.
- Sufficient budgetary provision must be ensured in order to guarantee and advance towards a public, directly managed, community-based, universal, free and high-quality Basque system of social and care services.
During the morning of the strike, LAB’s Feminist Picket line has claimed the fundamental role of care.
The care sector is a feminised and therefore precarious sector and this is why the feminist piquet line has denounced the sitution this morning in front of the Bilbao City Council and the Provincial Council of Bizkaia and inside these institutions. The Piquet line has been handing out leaflets and informing people, as the current context has to be a turning point for women workers and users to make the way towards a new model of social services and care.
We have demanded political, economic and social recognition of care works
On the occasion of the strike of care workers in Araba, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa, we have taken the streets of Gasteiz, Bilbao and Donostia, with the slogan “Recognise care work, now!”, in defence of a public, universal, free and quality system and public management of social services.
LAB’s general secretary, Garbiñe Aranburu, pointed out that “we have to take steps to build a public care system. Firstly, it is necessary to give political, economic and social recognition to care works. This recognition must be transferred to working conditions; increasing recruitment, reducing ratios and improving salaries. On the other hand, we denounce that care work cannot be a source of business, commodification and privatisation. In this sense, it is necessary to elaborate a plan for public procurement”.
In the words of Garbiñe Aranburu, “we have seen that a change in the care model is necessary in the current context, and for this change we believe that a social consensus must be reached, a social discussion must be held, in which workers and trade unions must participate, as well as users and family members”.
According to the general secretary, “the pandemic is being hard for workers, but they are standing firm to continue fighting for a public care system. However, as a society, everybody must reflect and contribute to take steps in favour of another model of care, because we all will have the need to be cared for at some stage in our lives.
Finally, Garbiñe Aranburu denounced the attitude of the Basque Government: “The budget does not take into account any of the workers’ demands. Once again, the Basque Government is telling us that care work must be carried out by women, and in a precarious way”.