Care home protests ends

A STRIKE at the Bartolomé Sánchez Moreno care centre in Oria is over.

It required the intervention of the hospital’s namesake and former mayor of Oria, who staged a 24 hour hunger strike in protest over the non-payment of hospital employees.

He condemned the management company Urban Geriatric SL for its ‘inept’ financial management which has seen staff at the hospital go unpaid for 10 months.

Following an arbitration meeting which involved the present mayor, Marcos Reche,as well as government officials, a compromise was reached whereby the contract with the private sector management company was terminated.

From now on the care home workers will be paid directly all outstanding salaries from public funds and they have been invited to form a cooperative managing the facility themselves.

Alternatively new private investors will be sought.