The newspaper Victoria, the official organ of the Communist Party in Isla de la Juventud, questioned the incidents reported in Santa Fe involving workers from the Electric Company during the handling of a complaint, amid the rising tension caused by power outages.
In an article published titled "Inadmissible," the media referred to a note released on August 15 by the Isla de la Juventud Electric Company, in which the entity reported that several customers behaved "inappropriately" with linemen during the handling of a complaint in the town of Santa Fe, specifically in Panel II.
Victoria deemed the insults and slurs against workers unacceptable and questioned why the linemen were being held responsible for the outages and extended power cuts affecting the population.
"How can we hold the linemen accountable for the tense situation facing the local electric power system?" asked the newspaper, which also inquired how they could be blamed for the outages and blackouts that disrupt residents' rest, food preservation, and daily life.
The media acknowledged that the landscape is "complex, frustrating, and overwhelming," although it maintained that this situation should not result in aggression against workers in the sector.
The Electric Company stated on August 15 in its publication that linemen, operators, and technicians are part of the community and face the same challenges, while they continue to work to maintain electrical service under adverse conditions. The entity requested patience, understanding, and respect for its staff.
Among the limitations noted by the company are the low availability of fuel for operational vehicles, the shortage of transformers, conductors, and connections, as well as the increase in breakdowns associated with prolonged power outages.
Victoria also reproduced the official explanation that the difficulties in the sector are related to the measures imposed by the United States government since January 29, although the text itself also mentioned the "internal inadequacies" of the system.
The newspaper finally highlighted the conditions in which the employees of the Electric Company work and asserted that they also return to homes affected by power outages, emphasizing that they deserve respect in a situation that the publication itself describes as particularly challenging.
The incident occurs in a context of gradual energy collapse. On August 18, the Electric Company in the special municipality announced a nearly total blackout across the territory due to a fuel deficit and delays in the arrival of a supply ship, which necessitated maintaining power only for the hospital and water pumping.
In May, the general director of the Electric Union, Rubén Campos Olmo, publicly acknowledged that the island was operating with only six hours of electricity per day. By July, residents were reporting periods of just two hours of daily service, with outages lasting up to 22 consecutive hours.
The tension between the population and the electrical workers is not unique to this area. In July, residents of Calabazar, in Boyeros, held two linemen captive, accusing them of selling electricity illegally to private businesses while their neighborhood remained in the dark.
Days later, in Guanabacoa, three women stood guard until 3:30 in the morning to prevent workers from taking the transformer from their block without presenting an order.
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