RUI Oliva Beach, Corralejo

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

from RTVAC:

Tamara - still no decision to go ahead by Costas on the refurbishment of the hotel planned for autumn 2019!



The PP asks the PSOE that the Government of Pedro Sánchez of an immediate solution to the Hotel Oliva Beach

· "We demand the intermediation of the PSOE majorero in the Ministry of Ecological Transition to ensure that workers and their families are not affected by the lack of response from Costas", says Gutiérrez

· "The priority on the agenda of a Senator in Madrid was to fight for the rehabilitation of the Hotel and its workers and the senator for Fuerteventura has not done anything", regrets Fernando Enseñat

· Tony Pereira claims "forcefulness for once to the Mayor of La Oliva"

The PP of Fuerteventura regrets that three months after the election campaign and despite the promises of the Socialist Party campaign, "the project to rehabilitate Oliva Beach remains unanswered by the Government of Spain and workers will be affected by an ERE ", denounces the spokesman of the PP in the Cabildo of Fuerteventura, Claudio Gutiérrez that demands an immediate solution to the Central Executive. "We demand the intermediation of the PSOE majorero in the Ministry of Ecological Transition to ensure that workers and their families are not affected by the lack of response from Costas," says Gutiérrez.

[Sam]

Tamara - still no decision to go ahead by Costas on the refurbishment of the hotel planned for autumn 2019!

I've read somewhere that RUI want to build some extra rooms and take over public land. This could be the reason why they are not getting the permission for the refurb, I guess.

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

from RTVAC today:

Intersindical will take the conflict of La Oliva Beach to the whole of Fuerteventura and demands the public appearance of President Torres.


a-1-4Intersindical Canaria, gives a maximum period of 15 days for both the Spanish Administration and the management of Oliva Beach, to clarify and unlock the alleged impediments to proceed with the remodeling of these hotel facilities, These legal objections are that, if they exist, after two years since the hotel processed the request for reform, they continue without being clarified by the Administration.

The magnitude of this labor and social problem justifies the public appearance of the new president of the Canarian government, in which from his institutional responsibility, and from his political analogy with the state government, positions on the future of the hotel and the contradictory positions of the Spanish executive towards unlocking this conflict

From what is stated by the RIU firm, but above all because of the silence maintained by the Spanish Ministry and the Demarcation of Coasts, it does not follow that the hotel reform plan will affect the land maritime public space, which is why we understand that some Black hand aims to unjustifiably hinder the modernization of tourist accommodation, and what is worse, the loss of jobs in the Majorero hotel with a greater number of Canarian workers. This unusual situation that puts the future of about 400 jobs at risk, also prevents the creation of another 50 job contracts that would enable the modernization of the hotel.

Intersindical Canaria, a majority union in the Oliva Beach Business Committee, after the 15-day period outlined above, will call for the general mobilization of the island in defense of the hotel's jobs, protests that include a Stepped process and gradual stoppage of the tourist activity in Fuerteventura.

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

A second article in RTVAC today:

The spokesmen of the Municipal Groups of Canary Coalition, Juan José Rodríguez Pérez, En Marcha, Pedro Manuel Amador Jiménez, Spanish Socialist Workers Party, Julio Santana de Agustín, and Win Fuerteventura, Pilar González Segura, the councilors of the Mixed Group, Oliver González Cabrera (Nueva Canarias), María del Carmen Cabrera Álamo (Podemos) and Antonio Pereira González (Popular Party), and the mayor of La Oliva, Isaí Blanco, gathered this Thursday, July 25, 2019 at the headquarters of the City Council of La Oliva and as If the plenary scheduled for this date has been called off and in the circumstances that motivate the urgency, they have reached the following:
Institutional agreement to support the workers of the Oliva Beach hotel and to reject the delay of the Government of Spain in processing the authorization for the remodeling of the hotel.

STATEMENT OF MOTIVES:

Almost two years ago, in December 2017, the company that operates the Oliva Beach Hotel, in the municipality of La Oliva, Geafond Number One Lanzarote SA, requested authorization from the General Directorate of Coasts of the Government of Spain to undertake remodeling works for the establishment. However, as of the date there has been no response, despite promises and meetings, even with the Vice President of the Government of Spain.

Now the company has summoned the representatives of the workers to announce, foreseeably, a file of regulation of employment before the losses

caused by the silence of the Government of Spain in the processing of the file.

Which would affect the 371 employees of the establishment. The company announces a fall in revenues in the last quarter of 2018 of 29% compared to 2017.

The renovations of the hotel, which do not entail an increase in the built-up volume or cross the boundaries of the area over which RIU has a concession even for 75 years, would allow Oliva Beach to become four stars, gaining competitiveness and tourism quality.

This reform involves an investment of 40 million euros and after it the staff of the hotel staff would grow, so it represents another opportunity for the generation of employment and wealth in the municipality of La Oliva.

The Oliva Beach Hotel was inaugurated in 1997 and is the livelihood of almost 400 families in the municipality of La Oliva. This establishment is also one of our hallmarks.

The tourist sector in Fuerteventura does not go through its best moment, with a decrease in the arrival of tourists. At this time, we cannot afford to lose jobs in the sector or our housing establishments lose competitiveness.

Although at this time of processing the City Council of La Oliva as an administration has no room for maneuver, it can exert pressure and claim the momentum that the company's request needs.

After the meeting held on Wednesday by the company with the workers and in which it was announced that next September the employment regulation file (ERE) is expected to begin as a result of the economic losses suffered by the company, which has been 4 quarters presenting accounts with losses.

This situation directly harms hotel workers, who could lose their jobs.

For all the above, the assembled spokesmen adopt the following:

AGREEMENT:

First. The City Council of La Oliva expresses its support for the workers of the Oliva Beach Hotel and the company in its project of remodeling the establishment for its contribution to the tourist quality of the municipality and the generation of employment and wealth that it entails. While expressing its rejection of the action of the Ministry of Ecological Transition of the Government of Spain in the processing of the authorization of the hotel remodeling project.

Second. To urge the General Directorate of Coasts of the Government of Spain to give impetus to the procedure and resolve in the corresponding sense.

Third. To transfer this agreement to the rest of the town councils of the island and to the Cabildo de Fuerteventura, with the aim of joining it.

Quarter. To transfer this agreement to the senator on the Island of Fuerteventura with the objective of making the necessary steps to unlock the situation of the Oliva Beach project.

Fifth. This agreement will be ratified at the next plenary session held by the City Council of La Oliva.

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

RTVAC today:

The representatives of the workers of the Hotel Riu Oliva Beach have met with the President of the Cabildo to request amparo against the threat of ERE posed by the company RIU.

The President of the Cabildo has been accompanied by the 1st and 2nd Vice Presidents of the Cabildo, the Senator for Fuerteventura, as well as the Minister of Environment and the Manager of the Tourism Board.

During the meeting, the President has given details of the coordinated efforts that have been established with the President of the Canary Islands Government and the Senator of Fuerteventura from the Presidency of the Canary Islands so that from Madrid the solution to the file of the Hotel Riu Oliva Beach .

The President has expressed his total and unconditional support to all and all the workers of the Hotel Riu Oliva Beach, ensuring that they will continue to be kept promptly informed of the efforts made by the Cabildo de Fuerteventura in coordination with the President of the Government of the Canary Islands and the Senator for Fuerteventura.

The President, at the request of the workers to be able to hold a meeting with the Company and the Cabildo before the end of August, did not place any type of impediment in order to share and contrast all kinds of information or progress made in this regard.

[Sam]

Why does it looks like Riu management is using their own employees as a bargaining chip? They do and will keep their jobs as long as the management will do what they are paid for - to get the Money / customers in.

[windermeregolfer]

Why does it looks like Riu management is using their own employees as a bargaining chip? They do and will keep their jobs as long as the management will do what they are paid for - to get the money / customers in.

The issue is the permission needed to refurbish the hotel so that the operators off the service and standards that guests expect and demand in 2020, if they don't do the work standards will fall with the knock on effect of fall occupancy and revenue.

When I ran hotels we refurbed some part of the hotel every year so that every 5 to 10 years the whole property was keep up to date and met guest expectations.

[Sam]

I understand John, refurbs are necessary. Nobody want to stay at rundown place.

The issue here is that they're trying to build extra rooms and that is the reason why Costas isn't happy about it. Instead of going back to the drawing board RIU decided to use any excuse/politician available, to put pressure at Costas to get the planning permission signed.

I can't find the drawings anywhere to confirm this, can't even recall where I've read about the extra rooms/buildings/land. I still do hope for some newspaper to release all the facts.  

[windermeregolfer]

Yes we need to see the plans, if there are to be extra buildings within the existing foot print of the hotel land it could be to enhance the facilities to meet expectation, I see no problem with that.

[Sam]

The workers of the Oliva Beach Hotel concentrated on Tuesday at twelve o'clock in protest to the doors of the establishment to demand their reform. The RIU chain has threatened an employment regulation file (ERE) because it has not yet obtained authorization from the Ministry of Ecological Transition for its project.

The staff, which had the support of family and workers from the neighbouring hotel Tres Islas, of the same chain, has begun a series of mobilizations to make the administrations reach their "discontent over the blockade of the reform" of their workplace.

The protest, which took place at the gates of Oliva Beach, is the first one. The workers, who stopped 15 minutes, urgently demand a solution that allows them to keep all their jobs. "They are almost 20 months waiting for a response from Costas in Madrid," they say.

In the concentration you could read banners with the slogans: "Solution already for the 400 families", "the future of 400 families, pending the unlocking of Costas" or "Central Government, act urgently not to go back".

In recent weeks, the threat of an employment regulation file at Oliva Beach has been reactivated by the RIU chain. At the end of 2017 the company presented a project, divided into three phases for the reform of the establishment.

The first would involve the rehabilitation of the hotel, the second involves intervention in the apartments and the third refers to the pool. The Canary Islands Coast Demarcation has objected to the second phase, relative to the apartments, considering that the demolition and construction of 15 apartments in a new location is considered.

The criteria of Costas en Canarias, submitted to the Ministry of Ecological Transition last September is that the project presented by RIU would also imply the use for private use of public areas. In its report, Costas suggests that, in order to develop the project as designed by the hotel chain, it would have to request a modification of the concession of the land maritime public domain on which the establishment is based.

In recent times there have been a series of meetings to try to unlock the project. The president of the Canary Islands Government, Ángel Víctor Torres, met with the ministry, as did the senator for Fuerteventura, Paloma Hernández, while the Cabildo chaired by Blas Acosta has shown his support for the workforce and held meetings with both workers As with the company.

Along the same lines, the City Council of La Oliva has supported, with the support of all political groups represented in the Consistory, a statement that defends the maintenance of jobs and advocates the viability of the RIU hotel reform.

Courtesy of Diario de Fuerteventura