SFM and the Works Committee agree to launch a schedule of meetings to implement measures and continue improving railway safety
The first meeting has brought positions closer together and postpones the possible partial strike action proposed by workers’ representatives
The management of Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca (SFM), led by its General Manager, José Ramón Orta, and representatives of the Works Committee held an initial meeting today in which they agreed to launch a schedule of meetings aimed at implementing measures and continuing to improve railway safety. This first meeting has helped bring both sides closer together and postpones the possible partial strike action proposed by workers’ representatives during an assembly held last Monday.
The meeting was convened by the company’s management in order to listen to and begin analysing the committee’s proposals, with the objective of continuing to improve railway safety and service quality across Mallorca’s train and metro network, one of the main priorities of both the Government of the Balearic Islands and SFM since the beginning of the current legislative term.
As part of this schedule of meetings, the next session has already been arranged for this Friday, 30 January, and further meetings are also expected to continue throughout next week.
At the beginning of the meeting, the Works Committee presented a document containing a series of proposals related to safety in different operational areas. Some of these measures are already in the process of being implemented by SFM, while others will be analysed by the company’s technical teams. The management described the meeting as “positive”, highlighting the willingness shown by both parties to establish a constructive dialogue aimed at improving railway safety, according to SFM General Manager José Ramón Orta.
In this regard, Orta thanked workers’ representatives for their “positive and proactive” attitude “in favour of railway safety”. He also stressed that “Mallorca’s railway system is safe and its situation bears no comparison with the circumstances that have unfortunately occurred on the mainland” in the recent railway accidents in Córdoba and Barcelona.
He also expressed his willingness to reach agreements based on the proposals submitted by the committee, in line with the programme of improvements and new investments currently being implemented during this legislative term.
“We want to work hand in hand with employees to continue introducing improvements in railway safety and operations,” added the SFM General Manager, while recalling the various investments already launched by the company, such as the implementation of the European standard ERTMS signalling system, increased budgets for new train and track maintenance contracts, and staff expansion measures, including for the first time the creation of two engineering positions specifically dedicated to railway safety, among other initiatives.