The Sindicato de Trabajadores de los Puertos de Tenerife has denounced this Monday the existence of a ‘unjustified and harmful blockage’ of industrial activity on the island, directly pointing to the Port Authority of Santa Cruz de Tenerife as responsible for a paralysis that, they claim, is due to external interests.
The focus of the conflict centers on the operations of the San Francisco vessel, whose call in Granadilla has been prevented due to the alleged absence of towing services in the capital’s port. For the union, this justification “lacks transparent technical support” and is, in reality, a maneuver designed to favor the current model of ship repair in the port of Las Palmas.
A direct impact on employment
The organization warns that the sector is going through a delicate moment, where “80 Tenerife families are being the direct victims” of a management that, in their view, “seems to bend to the pressures of external competitors.” In their statements, the union has explicitly pointed to Astilleros Canarios (Astican) as the dominant actor in the regional market, denouncing a supposed “operational boycott” that would be forcing the relocation of industrial activity outside Tenerife.
“We are witnessing how the development of Granadilla is being torpedoed from within,” state union spokespersons. According to their assessment, the lack of a tugboat with a permanent base and the systematic obstacles to obtaining the towing license are part of a strategy to ‘play the game’ for outside interests. Their concern is such that they fear this same dynamic could extend to future strategic projects, such as the deployment of the floating dock, whose competitiveness they see as seriously compromised.
Pressure on the political sphere
The conflict has transcended the technical field and has fully entered the political arena. The union has questioned the management of public officials, reminding of the prior professional trajectory of the current president of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, linked to the Astican group, and reproaching the president of the Cabildo of Tenerife, Rosa Dávila, for an alleged lack of firmness in defending the island’s industrial interests.
Demands and warning of mobilizations
In light of this scenario, the union’s roadmap is clear. The organization demands three immediate steps: the lifting of restrictions on the San Francisco vessel, the urgent approval of the towing license, and a shift towards a “technical and neutral” management from the Port Authority. The union concluded its statement with a firm warning: if an immediate rectification that guarantees the viability of activity in Granadilla does not occur, they will call for mobilizations and protest measures to defend employment and the industrial fabric of Tenerife.
