Entertainment is one of the fundamental services of any tourist complex, but at the same time it has been one of the most ignored by the Covid pandemic, and will most likely it will be the one that takes the longest to recover. Over 2,500 artists from all disciplines including musicians, singers, acrobats, dancers, and magicians who work in hotels and cabaret bars on the islands, either as self-employed, salaried workers, or through agencies, most of who have been unemployed for more than a year.
Their situation does not differ too much from that of other workers who have been inactive since March 14th last year, when the state of alarm was declared, and they collect benefits from the employment regulation files (ERTE). However, there is one big difference: the scheme by which these workers contribute to Social Security has left them completely unprotected and today, almost all of them receive minimal benefits of between 50 and 100 euros per month.
Yes some are working again, mainly in bars, and yes some being self-employed qualify for the ‘cessation de actividad’ support. There are also some, that many people will claim, have ‘dug their own hole’ by avoiding contributions for a long period of time, so only deserve what they are receiving, but the vast majority who perform in hotels, have an ‘alta’ and ‘baja’ for each show, which has left them in a vulnerable position.
