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Cleaning staff will go on indefinite strike at Madrid airport

Madrid Airport

The AENA-run cleaning service at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport has announced an indefinite strike that will start for night shift employees on April 8th at 11:00 p.m. The state Federation of Services, Mobility, and Consumer Affairs, the UGT, released a statement stating that the step was necessary because of “the need to address the unification of agreements, the repeated breaches of these agreements, and the existing shortage of staff.” They also bemoan “the new cleaning requirements and methods imposed by AENA,” which they say “has generated a situation of constant stress and pressure” for the sanitation staff.

Twenty-nine percent more passengers travelled in 2024 than the year before, totalling 66,196,984. According to FeSMC-UGT, this notable rise implies that cleaning employees must bear a heavy “physical and emotional burden” each day in order to deliver high-quality service. Serveo Facility Management SAU, which operates in Terminals 1, 2, and 3, Serveo Servicios SAU, which operates in Terminal 4, and Optima Facility Services, which operates T-4 Satellite, are the companies that are impacted by the strike.

The striking committee draws attention to sick leave coverage, which is “numerous” across all terminals, in relation to unmet agreements. “We were without a replacement for as long as forty or forty-five days. The firms guaranteed that this issue will be fixed. We had to quadruple the regions that should typically be given because of the extreme wear and tear. According to Fernanda Correira, a committee member who represents the Workers’ Union (USO), “making promises seems very easy, but delivering is not so easy.” In addition, AENA has started surveying passengers about the quality of its services. To make sure the image is as “perfect” as possible, a sizable number of cleaning personnel are sent to the site where one of these surveys is conducted. On the other hand, other terminal components are overlooked.

Committee members have described nighttime as “the most critical time.” For the cleaning staff, the homeless population is a “serious problem” because it has grown from 30 or 40 to around 500 in the past ten years. They must travel two by two in the event of an incident, thus they work in terror. They claim that cleaning their regions takes a lot more time and effort and has an impact on everything else.

In the past, we employees would return home exhausted from the physical strain, but now days, the emotional component is what matters most. From the beginning to the end, we are under pressure to perform. In addition to the businesses, we also voice our displeasure with AENA, their client. Although everyone wants the airport to be clean, nobody appreciates the job we do. Not even the travellers, who occasionally even make fun of us. One of the 700 employees that make up the cleaning services workforce, including temporary workers, states, “We have a huge amount of sick leave for mental health reasons.”

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The ASAE union, which has been against AENA for the “out-of-control” situation with regard to the number of homeless persons, says it “supports the strike due to AENA’s continued financial cuts in contracts.” “We completely understand that they want to work in decent and safe environments and not have to endure insults, threats, and attacks from the 500 people living in poverty at Barajas Airport, another reason for the protest,” they say. The striking employees “regret in advance any deep inconvenience this situation may cause to airport users.”

In the meantime, attempts to address the homeless disagreement between Madrid City Council and infrastructure administrators have not been successful. Both parties have remained silent during the “high tension” moments, expressing their profound care about the matter while frequently ignoring their obligations. The trend has not improved at all, and it may possibly worsen in the upcoming months due to the absence of alternative housing for these individuals, even if winter and the unfavourable weather are ending.


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Man arrested for robbery with force in Elche hospital and another for assault

National Police officers have arrested a 43-year-old man for allegedly perpetrating a burglary within a hospital in Elche. The private security personnel were aware of the suspect, who had broken into 14 containers in various locations he had visited, and they notified the police.

Although the individual fled to a nearby neighbourhood, patrols promptly apprehended him. Among his possessions, they found a variety of medical supplies and instruments purportedly used to break into the lockers.

This individual was apprehended by officers for the purported offence of burglary, as determined by the information gained. Following the police investigation, the detainee appeared before the investigating court on duty.

Arrested for an attempted assault at a different facility in Elche


An incident of violence against medical staff occurred at another local hospital in the wake of an attempted assault by a 34-year-old man who had recently been discharged.

The private security team of the centre was compelled to promptly intervene in response to the attacker’s aggressive behaviour, thereby preventing the situation from escalating and causing additional harm.

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The individual was promptly apprehended by a police detail, who identified him as the alleged perpetrator of a crime that involved the assault and damage of healthcare workers. They subsequently arrested him.


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FGV will allocate 1.4 million euros to cleaning the rolling stock and workshops of the Alicante TRAM

Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat Valenciana (FGV) will allocate €1,415,203.59 to clean the rolling stock and workshops of Alicante TRAM for a period of one year from the commencement of the contract, which also includes the possibility of an additional year’s extension.

The contracted services ensure the quality and frequency of the necessary cleanings, both daily and non-daily, as well as any unforeseen incidents or problems, such as graffiti or any other form of vandalism, by considering all the requirements associated with the cleaning of TRAM d’Alacant’s rolling stock and workshops.

At present, the rolling stock of TRAM d’Alacant comprises 37 units: 22 Bombardier 4200 series trams; 9 TRAM trains from the former Vossloh España company, which is now Stadler Rail Valencia; and 6 dual-drive (electro-diesel) trains from Stadler Rail Valencia, which are manufactured in Albuixech. These trains were retired after the modernisation work on Line 9 between Benidorm and Dénia was completed.

The 37 units for maintenance are housed in the three facilities that are currently available: El Campello, Benidorm, and Dénia.


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Police in Alicante train officers to patrol on motorcycles with greater safety and efficiency

This week, nearly twenty agents from Alicante, Elche, Benidorm, Castellón, and Valencia have participated in a National Police course on motorcyclist safety specialisation.

The objective of the course developed in Alicante by the national police’s road training unit is to “ensure that all colleagues are safer and provide a more efficient service to the “citizenship,” according to officer Jose Manuel Paniagua, one of the four instructors from Madrid, Valencia, and Castellón who have taught the course.

The instructors have been instructing fifteen unit agents of prevention and reaction (UPR) on how to patrol more safely on their large-displacement motorcycles, which weigh between 160 and 200 kilogrammes each.

Paniagua has emphasised the importance of technical mastery of the vehicle in various scenarios, as well as visual planning and anticipation.

In order to achieve this, they have been conducting closed-circuit exercises on a track and on provincial roads with curved sections. Some of the exercises that are practiced in the course include emergency braking, changing direction and curve paths, getting on and off moving motorcycles and stops, and conducting low-level escorts while maintaining balance without putting your feet on the ground.

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The instructor asserts that the course enables the participants to “improve the defects or vices they have when driving,” despite the fact that the majority of them are seasoned agents who provide service to the Alicante Motorcycle Groups and other cities in the province.

The course is derived from the English Driving Style, which has been embraced by numerous security forces and organisations worldwide. “It is a model that prioritises anticipation, security, and vehicle control, without compromising efficiency or reaction capacity,” explains Paniagua.

Instructors prioritise three fundamental aspects in their interactions with the agents: the agents’ feet and their position while driving, the use of brakes, and the gaze. The gaze is considered crucial for safety, as it provides the driver with anticipation.

Motorcycles enable the National Police to respond more promptly to emergencies; however, they also pose a greater risk to police officers. The objective of the course is to guarantee the safety of officers while they are serving and travelling. Consequently, the instructors emphasised to the police that they are unable to assist anyone if they do not arrive at the correct location.

The officer also concludes that the agents have been trained in the fundamental skills of stress management, decision-making under pressure, and reading the environment, which are necessary to intervene in actual scenarios without compromising the safety of oneself or others.

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