The Cleaning of 50 Educational Centers in Alicante in Jeopardy

The company Costa de Azahar Mesnet SL, which holds the contract for cleaning services for lots 1 and 7 in schools in Alicante and lot 6 in Valencia, and against which the PSPV has reported unpaid wages to staff, has asserted that it has been informing the Department of Education of losses in its balances since February 2023. The concessionaire attributes these losses to a 17 percent increase in labor costs due to the rise in the Minimum Interprofessional Wage and the CPI in collective agreements. It claims that it has not succeeded in obtaining an upward revision of contracts from the administration.

Thus, the cleaning of nearly 50 educational centers—high schools, conservatories, and nursery schools—in Alicante hangs by a thread just over a week before academic activities resume. Lot 1 of this contract affects 24 centers in the Vinalopó area, in municipalities such as Elda, Petrer, Monóvar, Monforte del Cid, Aspe, Novelda, and Pinoso. Meanwhile, lot 7 includes 23 centers in l'Alcoià, el Comtat, and Alto Vinalopó, in towns such as Benilloba, Alcoi, Onil, Castalla, Ibi, Sax, Villena, Cocentaina, Muro de Alcoi, Biar, and Banyeres de Mariola.

The company has reported the unpaid wages in a statement following the public complaint by the socialists, who have demanded that the Consell ensure the "unpaid" salaries of cleaning staff at the 70 centers before the school year begins and guarantee service at all affected facilities. According to PSPV, nearly 300 workers have not received 70% of their June salary, nor their bonus or settlement corresponding to seasonal permanent staff, who represent around 90% of the workforce.

For its part, the Department of Education has assured that it is "up to date" with payments to cleaning companies providing services in schools and high schools. However, it acknowledges that "at this moment there is a specific situation" with this contractor—in a contract tendered by the Botànic Government—which is beyond this department's control because it is the company's responsibility to pay its workers' salaries as well as Social Security costs.

However, from the company’s side—which requested contract termination this month—they claim to have done "everything within our power" regarding this situation and assert that they have been "waiting for almost a year for a response to find a solution with the Department." Ramón Muñiz, General Director of the group and emphasizing that this is the only Valencian company in the sector with more than 700 employees, laments that they still have not been able to "sit down" with the conseller José Antonio Rovira.

In this vein, he pointed out that they have been informing and alerting the Department since February 2023 that managing the service was "unfeasible" due to losses in their balances and requesting a solution. The company signed the contract with the administration in July 2022 for a three-year term extendable by two more years. It claims to bear a "considerable increase" in labor costs which currently places it in an "unsustainable" economic situation.

According to their statement, this situation arises from SMI increases agreed upon by the Government resulting directly in increased labor costs as well as clauses within collective agreements negotiated subsequently and "far above estimates reflected in tender documents." Additionally, they cite an "elevated increase" in CPI which has directly impacted collective agreements in Alicante and Valencia with increases "far above what was estimated by Administration tenders." "All this has resulted in an approximate cost increase of 17% without having achieved an upward revision of contracts," they explain.

In this context, they add that according to tender documents’ provisions technical forecasts by Department anticipated an "industrial profit margin from contract at most of 6%, making current financial imbalance unbearable," stressing they suffer an "economic overstrain" leaving their treasury "without margin."

Adding to this is delayed payment for some invoices from Administration, which according to their complaint from Godella-based firm has only worsened matters. “As a consequence of all these factors we have been unable to fully pay June salaries despite never missing payment commitments both towards our workforce suppliers taxes or Social Security,” they explain.

The firm noted that it requested meetings with parliamentary groups last July conveying severity—only Vox responded—and after several communications meetings with representatives from Department this August sought contract termination “to avoid greater harm towards service workers” given “impossibility continuing” while requesting “urgent” meeting conseller addressing issue becoming “social problem.”