COVID-19 MANAGEMENT
Since health and safety authorities have issued prevention and safety advice against the COVID-19 virus, each and one of GUREAK working activities have established all the means necessary to ensure the health and safety of each of the 6000 workers forming our group. For this purpose, such measures, both general and specific, have been established according to each type of activity, adapting to this new and constant reality, based on the changes the situation has required as so.
Here is the timeline of the most important steps taken in the most recent state of emergency:
CHRONOLOGY
March 13
It is reported that by order of the Provincial Council Gipuzkoa the Occupational Service agreed has been suspended from Monday, March 16 and until further notice. Therefore, 860 people who use this service, all of them people with special needs of support, must stop going to their assigned centers.
On the same day, and in follow-up to the closure of educational centers decreed by the local authorities, 36 students from GUREAK Profesional Training begin to carry out their distance learning activities through digital platforms.
On the same day, and in follow-up to the closure of educational centers decreed by the local authorities, 36 students from GUREAK Profesional Training begin to carry out their distance learning activities through digital platforms.
March 15
Following the new orders derived from the state of alarm decreed by the central government, 10 hospitality and event catering centers have been closed, which include 81 people from GUREAK Ostalaritza, processing it through a ERTE agreed with labor union representatives. The Main Kitchen quarters are still working to supply more than 2000 meals to retirement homes, as well as homeless and people in the risk of exclusion sheltered on hostels and sport centers, and more than 350 elderly people at their homes.
March 17
Telework services are deployed for any activities possible to be done in the distance, such as management, personnel and online marketing, to ensure that more than 175 people can work from their home without leaving or going outside.
March 20
Management and work representatives of GUREAK Industrial agreed to present a major Record of Temporary Employment Regulation (ERTE in Spanish) which affect 2600 working people in the GUREAK workshop network across Gipuzkoa starting next week. The reason is to ensure protection as fast as possible on every working team, due to being mosly formed by people from vulnerable groups, such as people with mental disabilities. Due to the situation at hand, GUREAK has ensured to support benefits equal to each person involved in the ERTE to receive the full payment of their usual salary.
March 21
in potentially exposed activities such as Garbitasuna, Ikuztegia, Zerbitzu Anitzak and Marketing specific security protocols are adopted for each case and, proactively, distancing and protection measures are reinforced for more than 150 people with particularly vulnerable profile in this health crisis.
March 23
The GUREAK Central Kitchen begins to serve lunch and dinner to minors and elderly people in residences, in support to the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa and the Municipality of Donostia - San Sebastián. It works with specific sanitary and disinfection protocols, as well as with special working teams.
March 27
Persisting in the objective of preserving the safety of the most vulnerable people of the different activities of the group, throughout the week various ERTEs have been agreed with the union representatives in various activities of Zerbitzuak, Marketing, Araba and Navarre.
March 28
Throughout the weekend, a specialized company carries out the cleaning of the GUREAK Industrial workshops, guaranteeing the complete disinfection of common areas and working spaces.
March 30
In application of the Royal Decree 10/2020, GUREAK suspends all activities not considered essential, such as active minimum services in Industrial, Berdea, and part of Direct Publicity and Document Processing.
On the same day, infectious clothes have been transferred from laundries in nursing homes to the GUREAK Industrial Laundry, implementing specific disinfection protocols and in close collaboration with the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa.
On the same day, infectious clothes have been transferred from laundries in nursing homes to the GUREAK Industrial Laundry, implementing specific disinfection protocols and in close collaboration with the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa.
March 31
To minimize the impact that the deferred payment of the SEPE could have on workers in situations of ERTE, GUREAK fully pays them monthly the corresponding amount to each of them, thus advancing the amounts corresponding to the SEPE that will be regularized in the extra pay of July 2020.
April 14th
Some of the suspended activities in Araba, Marketing and Industrial (equivalent to 10% of the activity) are gradually reactivating, responding to specific customer demands and with prevention and safety protocols agreed with the representatives of the workers. These protocols are based on the latest update of the reference document of the Ministry of Health for all sectors and activities in the field of prevention against COVID19.
1st May
Thank you!
May 20
In accordance with the de-escalation phases defined by the Government, progress is being made in the reactivation of suspended activities with the state of alarm and in the reincorporation of people to their jobs, in any case protecting health and security of those who are most vulnerable to COVID-19. Precisely in industrial activity, where the greatest number of people belonging to vulnerable groups are employed, the management and the workers' representatives have agreed to modify the ERTE due to force majeure into a ERTE of partial force majeure. This new formula included in Royal Decree RD 18/2020 allows progress in the reactivation, balancing the new workloads and offering learning margins and adaptation to the new prevention and safety protocols implemented throughout the group.
June 1
Descaling of the Occupational Service. 52 people have received the service in person in various activities: Berdea, Document Treatment, Pauso Berriak ... In the next 4-6 weeks all the people who want to do it in person will continue to incorporate into their corresponding teams. Meanwhile 114 people continue receiving a tailored online service. Participants in Bidean will shortly begin to hold two weekly meetings in the community.
1st of July
End of temporary furloughs at Group level:
- Completion of the temporary furlough of partial force majeure at GUREAK LANEAN S.A. and agreement between the representatives of the workers and the management to give stability to the collective of workers until 12/31/2020, focus on the main work of all activities and respond to the needs of customers.
- Completion of the rest of the temporary furloughs activated in GUREAK Zerbitzuak and GUREAK Marketing. End date between 06.30.2020 - 07.31.2020.
- Ostalaritza is the only company where temporary furlough is continued on a limited basis, applying it to certain specific activities for the public.
If the changing situation requires, GUREAK will make sure to choose the right decisions to ensure the safety of its workforce and make sure these decisions are as adequate to the diverse activities and profiles we are known for
We especially appreciate the attitude and dedication to all the people of GUREAK who have operated in the direct posts of basic services for citizens in full alarm, as well as the support structures that have supported them 24 hours adapting to the circumstances from the telework, and to all the people who support and encourage our teams and continue working today to fulfill GUREAK's mission now and in the future.
Thank You!