The works council at the SFM rail operator in Mallorca is to convene a meeting this coming Monday at which it will propose partial work stoppages in protest at what it says are safety and maintenance deficiencies and in solidarity with a strike on the mainland. As ten days' notice of any strike action is required, these stoppages could begin in the first week of February.
The council says it has filed dozens of complaints with SFM over recent months. Many of these have gone unanswered. The regional government's employment inspectorate is apparently investigating these complaints and has issued a formal request to SFM management for information.
The workers' representatives maintain that incidents occur regularly and are unreported to the public. A statement reads: "Last Sunday, a train snagged on the overhead power line and nearly caught fire in Marratxi. Two weeks ago, a train collided with a platform and was damaged. There was a broken rail for more than ten days. We experienced 20 speed restrictions during the summer due to track problems, and we continue to have the issue that the newly purchased trains cannot travel faster than 80 kilometres per hour, while the commercial speed is 100. They tell us it's a track problem, but they don't explain what this is.
"These complaints have not been addressed with the necessary urgency or responsibility. These are not isolated incidents, but reflect a structural situation that requires immediate solutions."
They are expressing their concern about railway safety in light of the accidents in Adamuz and Barcelona. The council acknowledges that the situations are different (there is no high-speed rail in Mallorca) but still expresses concern about potential accidents: "What we thought was unthinkable has now proven to be possible. Safety is not negotiable or to be postponed; it must be addressed."
The council is critical of the Balearic Government for claiming it is carrying out multi-million euro investments in the rail network. The committee believes these statements "are creating confusion among the public" by, for example, conflating planned investments for future projects. "Many of these newly announced investments do not address the deficiencies we have previously raised, and they cannot be used to minimise or divert attention from the real problems that remain unresolved."