Unions are threatening a major social security strike

“Error”. Thus, they qualify from the General Trade Union (UGT) The government’s proposal to put an end to virtual queues i the collapse of social security.

Those baptized as Intensification plans They plan to “alleviate the problem of lack of appointments and general delays” by withdrawing the checkbook: paying €21 per hour to any employee who decides to extend working hours between May 2 and July 31.

The solution stuck unionswho have been looking for personnel reinforcement for a decade, already aged.

In his opinion, the measure is clean makeup “to avoid queues until the next election”. An opportunistic maneuver that could temporarily reduce waiting in the system, but which will have a “rebound effect due to the accumulation of unresolved procedures”, they warn. And one is addressing citizens, at the foot of the office or by phone, and the other is processing files, which can take time depending on their complexity. The minimum vital income (IMV), for example, can last for months.

Anger between unions (UGT, CC.OO. and CSIF) is such that they threaten to invite a the great social security strike, either intermittently or indefinitely. “We urge the Secretary of State to reach an agreement which will prevent a strike by Social Security workers, with such serious consequences for the public that we hope it will not occur and that, if policies of increasing workload and workload, are undertaken by staff to the limit of their ability, will be will inevitably stop reporting from our side,” they said from UGT.

They are not the only ones. The Comisiones Obreras (CC.OO.) and the CSIF stood up directly from the negotiating table after confirming that the Government broke its word and fulfilled the officials’ demands at the April 26 meeting. One of them related to the calendar for the admission of new staff. They believe that it will be inevitable to carry out stricter mobilizations, suspensions and even strikes for an indefinite period of time, which could further delay the actions of citizens, who have already suffered interruptions in income in some cases.

“They leave us no choice”

“They will leave us no choice. The workers are exhausted and there is great dissatisfaction», explains the responsible person in Galicia of the Workers’ Committees for the public administration sector, Lola Panero, who clarifies that it is not just about erasing lines in the queue with the stroke of a pen, but about strengthening the workforce in order to eliminate the bottlenecks that continue to grow in the management of files within the provincial office. The traffic jam, which is not visible to the eyes of those going to the social security offices, is often empty.

What consequences could a strike have? Income disruption problems would worsen and many vulnerable households would see their files paralyzed to claim benefits such as minimum living income (IMV).

This may also delay processing pensions and sick leavewhich often require the agility of the Administration, both when authorizing and approving enrollment.

The waiting list in cities like A Coruña and Vigo lasts three weeks

While representatives of public employees study the convenience of blacking out social welfare to put pressure on the Government ahead of the campaign, citizens continue to face the same problems: it is almost impossible to get a personal appointment half a month away. In cities like A Coruña, where last month it was not possible to get a ticket for personal processing of pension or IMV, there are gaps within three weeks. The same happens in Vigo. “Both the National Institute for Social Security (INSS) and the Main Treasury of Social Security (TGSS) are being improperly reorganized”, warn from the UGT. The slogan is clear: invite officials to work two more afternoons, which would be added to the other two that correspond to them according to the work calendar. In addition, they are pressuring staff to reduce service times, limiting them to just 15 minutes per citizen, 10 if possible.

As they have been calling out for months, this collapsing situation forces many people to go to the services of private agencies to be able to perform cumbersome procedures that cannot be solved by short-term inquiries once a month. “The conditions are set by them (INSS). The orders they transmit are very ambiguous,” complains the staff.