Strike in three of the Medea performances that open the Teatro Real season. The workers of the Intermezzo Choir-Titular Choir of the Teatro Real, the external choir that since 2009 has been the main choir of the opera coliseum through the Intermezzo Association, denounce that they have "suffered a very precarious employment situation" and consider that their contracts "they have abusive clauses, which could add to this fact the lack of their own agreement", which is why they have called - with the support of 93.8% of the workers - partial strikes on September 22, 23 and 25 from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. , coinciding with the schedule of the Medea performances, which start on the 19th, as well as a strike on October 5 and 6, during, they point out, the quality tests of the members of the Teatro Real's titular choir.
In a statement from the choir's works committee signed by the CC.OO unions. and CGT denounce that "in 14 years of activity, Intermezzo has never agreed to negotiate any aspect of our contract" and that their company policy "defends quality standards based on controls every two or three years" according to a clause "with subjective connotations in our opinion".
"Based on it or alluding to it, there have been multiple dismissals (two members of the works council were even fired)," they say, and assure that "in an absolutely irresponsible way, it attempts to avoid the economic cost of the layoffs", so that "personnel who could be uncomfortable, some with seniority since 2009, according to the clause, would go to the streets without any type of financial compensation", and "all of this, according to the criteria of a court: members of the company, staff called by the same company - friends - as well as staff from the Royal Theater itself.
In his opinion, "the perversion of this clause would not reach this magnitude if the president of the company had not expressed to the works committee that he intends that the average age of the choir should not be high: at this time it would be around 40 years, and according to "In their view, this is detrimental to the artistic quality of the choir, considering that there is a decrease in vocal and stage performance."
They also denounce continuous changes in schedules, lack of family conciliation of the members of the titular choir or abusive working hours during performances outside the community of Madrid "which translates into the decrease in the well-being of the workers."
