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We simply said ‘enough’: the story of Spain’s ‘Las Kellys’ hotel cleaners

From gruelling working conditions to more limited access to healthcare, austerity policies have hit women hardest. But they are fighting back.

Published:

 Myriam Barros.

Las Kellys in a demonstration in Canarias (Spain), 2017. Photo: Myriam Barros. All rights reserved.

From eight to nine o’clock in the morning, she cleans the hotel’s common areas. Then, she’s assigned around 20 hotel rooms to clean in six and a half hours. If a client has finished their stay, she has to fully dress the room, which takes an hour. Often, she skips her lunch to be able to finish on time.