{"id":152508,"date":"2025-06-29T22:29:59","date_gmt":"2025-06-29T22:29:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/the-last-summer-without-early-retirement-for-kellys-three-out-of-ten-hotel-maids-are-over-52-years-old\/"},"modified":"2025-06-29T22:29:59","modified_gmt":"2025-06-29T22:29:59","slug":"the-last-summer-without-early-retirement-for-kellys-three-out-of-ten-hotel-maids-are-over-52-years-old","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/the-last-summer-without-early-retirement-for-kellys-three-out-of-ten-hotel-maids-are-over-52-years-old\/","title":{"rendered":"The last summer without early retirement for ‘Kellys’: three out of ten hotel maids are over 52 years old."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The \u00a0Spanish government\u00a0 approved a crucial procedure last month aimed at allowing for \u00a0early retirement\u00a0 in certain arduous and hazardous occupations. A key group seeking to benefit from this initiative is that of \u00a0hotel chambermaids\u00a0, who have long advocated for this right due to the significant \u00a0physical\u00a0 and \u00a0emotional\u00a0 toll their profession takes. However, the path to achieving early retirement is unlikely to be straightforward; the complex procedures involved may extend the process for several months, making it improbable for these women to access early retirement this year. Unions are hopeful that the initiative will come into effect by \u00a02026\u00a0.<\/p>\n

This summer may mark the last without the possibility of early retirement for the \u00a0Kellys\u00a0, a term used to refer to this collective, which is now celebrating a decade of active struggle for their labor rights. As families head off to their vacation destinations, they will be met by a battalion of chambermaids responsible for maintaining the cleanliness and order in their accommodations. But just how many of these women are there? The exact figures are somewhat of a mystery. Neither the \u00a0National Institute of Statistics (INE)\u00a0 nor the \u00a0Social Security\u00a0 records provide a specific number, though estimates suggest the group consists of approximately \u00a0100,000 women\u00a0, given that they predominantly fill these roles.<\/p>\n

According to figures from the \u00a0General Treasury of Social Security\u00a0, in response to a parliamentary query submitted by the \u00a0Socialist Group\u00a0 in Congress, there were \u00a0144,512 hotel chambermaids\u00a0 registered by the end of 2024. However, it’s important to interpret this data carefully. The government notes that these workers are categorized under the \u00a0National Classification of Economic Activities (CNAE)\u00a0 as part of \u201cHotels and similar accommodations.\u201d This classification includes various roles beyond cleaning, such as food and beverage services, laundry, pool, and gym services. The Treasury provides an annex, offering a \u201cdisaggregated data by gender\u201d as a rough estimate, acknowledging the high \u00a0feminization\u00a0 of the profession.<\/p>\n

From this annex, it becomes evident that there are \u00a0144,512 women\u00a0 affiliated under CNAE 5510, while there were \u00a0115,472 men\u00a0 employed in similar hotel settings by December 2024. During peak season in August of the previous summer, there were reportedly \u00a0222,788 chambermaids\u00a0 contributing to the Social Security and \u00a0168,442 male workers\u00a0 in these establishments. These numbers are anticipated to increase this year due to a robust tourism surge.<\/p>\n

Beyond just the number of hotel employees, the government\u2019s response reveals crucial information regarding the age distribution of this group. Almost \u00a030% of the employed\u00a0 are over \u00a052 years old\u00a0. By the end of 2024, there were \u00a039,499 contributors\u00a0 engaged in this role aged over 51 (specifically \u00a018,368\u00a0 between 51 and 55 years old, \u00a013,378\u00a0 between 56 and 60, \u00a07,048\u00a0 over 60, and \u00a0705\u00a0 above 65). This indicates that nearly three out of ten \u00a0Kellys\u00a0 could potentially claim early retirement given their age surpasses the set threshold of 52 years for applicable reduction coefficients.<\/p>\n

However, age is not the sole criterion established by the government. The \u00a0Ministry of Social Security\u00a0 has laid out a series of requirements for workers in strenuous or hazardous professions\u2014who cannot see improvement in their working conditions\u2014to allow for \u00a0anticipation of the standard retirement age\u00a0. Factors considered include the number of instances of temporary disability, average duration of leave, and the incidence of fatalities and permanent disabilities within the group, along with criteria such as exposure to extreme temperatures, noise, vibrations, physical strain, and harmful chemical or biological agents.<\/p>\n

The Procedure<\/h2>\n

Applications for early retirement must be submitted “jointly” by \u00a0unions\u00a0, employer associations, self-employed worker associations, or public administrations. This presents an initial challenge as unions may face resistance from employers since applying these reduction coefficients for early retirement at 52 years entails additional contributions that predominantly impact companies. However, there is a clear ruling from the \u00a0Supreme Court\u00a0 allowing unions to request these reduction coefficients without a prior agreement with employers.<\/p>\n

This has been one of the primary hurdles preventing the activation of these procedures. The \u00a0Social Security\u00a0 administration has not approved reduction coefficients for \u00a0laborious occupations since 2011\u00a0, and it continues to archive union requests. With this new procedure, the maximum timeframe for resolution is set at \u00a0six months\u00a0, leading unions to anticipate a more efficient process. Nonetheless, preliminary reports from the \u00a0Labor Inspectorate\u00a0 and the \u00a0Institute of Safety and Health at Work\u00a0 are mandatory, and all this documentation will be scrutinized by an evaluation commission that will decide on approval or rejection. As per the government\u2019s timeline, this commission is expected to be formed by the end of September, allowing them to start reviewing requests by the last quarter of the year and potentially deferring resolutions into early \u00a02026\u00a0.<\/p>\n

From \u00a0UGT\u00a0, union representatives express they are already preparing to submit their application. \u00a0Fernando Luj\u00e1n\u00a0, the Deputy Secretary General of Union Policy, asserts the need for ongoing efforts to dignify labor conditions in such a heavily feminized sector. Concurrently, he emphasizes the urgency of effectively enforcing \u00a0equality plans\u00a0 in companies within this sector to address the persistent gender pay gap (as reported by Social Security data, the average contribution base for women is \u00a01,694 euros\u00a0, compared to \u00a01,968 euros\u00a0 for men performing the same activities). He critiques how the outsourcing of cleaning jobs has worsened the working conditions for chambermaids.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, \u00a0Marcos Guti\u00e9rrez\u00a0, head of Institutional Policy and Public Policy at \u00a0CCOO\u2019s Services\u00a0, lauds the government’s new regulation and the objectification of criteria regarding arduousness, particularly since \u201cmany chambermaids work for outsourced companies and avoid taking sick leaves, even resorting to self-medication to keep working.\u201d He hopes that with this new procedure, the de facto “veto power previously held by employers” will be eliminated, hastening necessary processes. Should an agreement with employers fail to materialize, \u201cwe will urge the Administration to commence the process of activating these reduction coefficients,\u201d he warns.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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General News – 2<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The \u00a0Spanish government\u00a0 approved a crucial procedure last month aimed at allowing for \u00a0early retirement\u00a0 in certain arduous and hazardous occupations. A key group seeking to benefit from this initiative is that of \u00a0hotel chambermaids\u00a0, who have long advocated for this right due to the significant \u00a0physical\u00a0 and \u00a0emotional\u00a0 toll their profession takes. However, the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23832],"tags":[37853,29930,37143,37288,37854],"class_list":["post-152508","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-finance","tag-ccoo","tag-economia","tag-empleo","tag-trabajo","tag-ugt"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152508","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=152508"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152508\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=152508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=152508"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=152508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}