Spanish labour law tends to come down on the side of the worker but that is only true if you know what your rights are and when they have been trampled on.
Take one boss I know of who happily agreed to a Spanish worker taking some vacation time. Off the employee went to spend two glorious weeks with family on the mainland only to come back and find she had been fired for not turning up to work. Because the employee did not have a signed letter stating the vacation period she could not prove that the boss’s permission had been given for the time off. Her non-appearance at her place of work was just cause for firing her and the company did not have to give her any severance pay (finiquito).
The same boss later called a British worker into his office and asked him to sign a paper. The document written entirely in Spanish was notification of dismissal and included a clause which stated that the man was being fired because he was slacking off. In signing it, the worker was ‘admitting’ to this fabricated transgression and therefore blew any chance he may have had at receiving severance pay (finiquito).
This employer, whom we shall call The Joker for his predilection at playing tricks on his employees, is a wily old bird. He juggles employees between companies, holds back salaries to afford materials for production and is currently conducting a manufacturing business in a place that is unsafe to work.
You have to wonder why The Joker has not been denounced yet. I can only guess that the staff he mistreats are afraid of not finding any other jobs in this current economic climate. Is it better, to work for pay that will come late than not to be working at all?
I know that the company in question provides services for some of Spain’s major tourist attractions – including several here on Tenerife. Would they still give the work to The Joker if they knew how shoddily he treated his staff? Sadly, I guess the answer to that question is yes. I am sure The Joker is undercutting his rivals to the bone and if the marketing department of the large tourist companies can save a few thousand euros on production who cares how The Joker manages to keep his prices so low, right?
As an expat in Tenerife or Spain, you should be aware that it is not a good idea to sign any document that you do not understand.
If you feel you have been unfairly treated, wrongfully dismissed or had unlawful deductions made to your salary you do have 20 days to take the case before the labour courts (Magistratura de Trabajo) but your rights may be seriously affected if you have signed any document that would allow your employer wriggle out of his obligations.
One of my favourite things to do with visitors in Tenerife is to go for a wander with them round Jungle Park (also known as Eagle Park or Aguilas Park). The plantings in the grounds are mature and lush and the paths and trails cleverly double back on themselves giving the impression that the place is much bigger than it actually is.
The wild bird show is spectacular. I have no doubt that in a perfect world those birds, the American Bald Eagle, the condors and the vultures would be happier soaring over wilder lands far, far away from here but as animals in captivity go, these at least are given the chance to spread their wings and fly freely a couple of times a day.
The first thing you should do on arrival at Jungle Park is check the time of the Raptor Show and make sure that your meanderings within the park will have you near the show arena in time to pick your seat and get settled. If you want to get a truly bird’s eye view position yourself under the wooden posts which are set there for the birds to perch on.
As a presenter commentates, several species of wild bird are put through their paces. One small falcon may hop from head to head of the spectators, while a couple of secretary birds peck seed politely from their hands and larger birds of prey circle over head preparing for the cue that signals their dramatic, plunging entrance to the show.
In previous years, the presenter used to give a running commentary of the birds, their species, size, diet, habitat and so on in several languages. The show was always prefaced with the most important information: sit down, stay seated, don’t eat anything during the show – again this used to be given in several languages. To my surprise, on this visit the presenter only spoke in SPanish and not even the safety drill was given in any other language.
Towards the end of the show, a dopey Englishwoman stood up and wandered over near to a handler, urged on by her husband, as he angled the camera trying to get a dramatic shot. He quite likely would have got a more dramatic shot than he had bargained for if the handler had not quickly changed position and smartly connected with the bird of prey that he had been signalling to plummet at him from the sky.
The lack of translation would only bother those that expected to hear it. The birds are more than dramatic enough to make up for the missing commentary. I guess it was a cost cutting exercise that put paid to that and to the African dance group that used to welcome the African ibex at the end of the show.
Moving on round the park after the Raptor Show you will come across many other animal and reptile species and also another bird show - parrots this time.
On our most recent visit to Jungle Park, we were accompanied by Scottish couple, Jim and Carol Ramsay who had recently been visiting some theme parks in Florida. They commented on how Tenerife’s Jungle Park measured up most favourably to what they saw on the other side of the pond. Jim is a talented freelance photographer and took the shots that you can see in the gallery below.
In helping people establish an internet presence I tell them that if they start a blog, they must do their best to maintain it. To build traffic and keep it, you must post on a regular basis. It doesn’t have to be every single day, but you should establish a certain volume of posting and stick to it.
Ignoring the fact that I haven’t posted for two weeks that is all true and good advice which I stick by 100%. As my old science teacher ‘Rubber Lips Frazier’ used to tell the class, “Do as I say, not as I do, (or you will blow us all to Kingdom Come you little ****** ).
The last bit was always said in a mutter so I’m not quite sure but I think he thought we would all grow up to be bankers.
If you happen to be splashing about in the waters off Spain, Italy, Japan, the Atlantic side of Panama or a growing number of other places and you accidentally swallow a tiny jellyfish worry ye not because you may have just ingested Turritopsis nutricul the only living creature who possesses the secret to immortality.
I’ve no idea if the jellyfish-like creature has made it to the waters of Tenerife yet but if you see me wallowing about open-mouthed in the coastal waters off Los Cristianos – now you will know why. In the meantime, just to prove I am in fact sane and haven’t imagined this fascinating creature follow this link to find The Curious Case of the Immortal Jellyfish as published in Discover magazine.
Yippeeee! Only a few days to go till Tenerife schools are in!
Having had the week from hell (or to be honest the last thirteen weeks from hell) I am prepared to admit that mothering is not my forte. Love them to pieces as I do, I find my two darlings in concentrated doses makes me go more than a little round the bend. How I envy those unruffled women who glide through parenthood so smoothly while magically keeping their homes clean and sparkling at the same time.
In comparison at the end of each day my hair is standing on end and I am having palpitations at the scary thought of the mountain of clothes to be washed toppling over and suffocating me in the middle of the night. Then having finally said my last goodnight and waiting half an hour for the inevitable squabble and squawk to die down in the kids bedroom I can then enjoy a precious nugget of silence before Tito starts baying his silly head off at some innocent person out walking their dog past the garden gate.
Having never been a religious person I am more and more drawn to the vow of silence.
But I digress. Back to school or at least back to the subject of school. Oddly where in the past the little ones were taken in a day earlier so that they could get settled, it seems this year that the intake for both infantil and primaria is on the same time at the same day. That can’t be right, surely?
With one set of buildings on each side of a main road and a janny (a janitor to those who do not speak Scottish) who seems to take great delight in ramming the gates shut if you are a nanosecond past the 9.10 am while galloping from one school building to the other, there will be utter chaos on Tuesday.
There is also the matter of the subsidised school books. At third year in Primary, my daughter is entitled to have her text books paid for by the cabildo but what a holy mess they made of that last year. The list of books was not handed out till the last minute and there were not enough books on the whole island to cover the demand. If this is your first year dealing with the state school system in Tenerif e you can get an idea of what to expect by reading The Tenerife TexBook Fiasco and Tenerife Textbooks – the Saga Continues.
So with crossed fingers and a song of hope in my heart I am skipping off down to the school reception this morning with my babies in tow to find out just WTF is going on. Tra la la.
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