SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Sep 30 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Government of the Canary Islands, through the Ministry of Economy, Knowledge and Employment, has begun the payment of the supplement to workers who have been or remain in ERTE due to the COVID-19 pandemic and who, in addition, have not received amounts monthly higher than the minimum interprofessional salary. For this supplement, which will be provided in a single payment and will benefit more than 70,000 people, the Executive will use 32 million euros from REACT-EU funds.
To inform about the start of the payment of this direct aid to people in ERTE with lower benefits, a press conference was held in which the President of the Canary Islands, Ángel Víctor Torres; the Minister of Economy, Knowledge and Employment, Elena Máñez, and the general secretaries of CCOO Canarias, Inocencio González, and UGT Canarias, Manuel Navarro.
In his speech, Ángel Víctor Torres stressed that the payment of this aid is the result of the joint work carried out by the unions and the rest of the social agents in each of the working groups that concluded in the Reactiva Plan, and added that in Today they have already started to make the income from these aids and it is expected that next Tuesday they will have already been paid in full.
Elena Máñez, for her part, wanted to recall that this proposal has been agreed with the most representative union organizations and, as a novelty, contemplates that these subsidies have been processed ex officio, so it has not been necessary to submit an application or documentation by part of the beneficiaries.
In this sense, the Canarian Employment Service (SCE), the body in charge of the management, has been able to obtain the necessary data from the State Public Employment Service (SEPE) and, once the information on the people who meet the requirements has been collected, resolve granting the aid.
Thanks to this information, it has gone from the initial figure of 51,000 beneficiaries to more than 72,000, while the budget initially committed has increased from 30 to 32 million euros. Likewise, Máñez explained that 56% of these aids have been received by women and 44% by men, which reflects the job insecurity suffered by women in the Islands, said the counselor.
The amount of the subsidies will be paid in a single payment, which will be higher the lower the contributory benefit. Thus, three tranches have been set: aid of 1,100 euros (about 13,000 people) for benefits below 395.5 euros per month; 550 for those between 395.5 and 560 euros per month (about 20,000 people), and 300 euros for benefits above 560 euros per month (about 18,600 beneficiaries). The smallest amount will be the first to be paid.
The secretary general of UGT Canarias, Manuel Marrero, highlighted this initiative “it brings us closer to the people who need it most” and it is “a way to help people not to be left behind.” He also added that these are amounts that will come to help families and even to reactivate the economy in the Archipelago.
The Secretary General of CCOO Canarias, Inocencio González, valued that today “we celebrate good news in a scenario where we are taking some steps forward but also where there are other elements that hinder a more constant progress”. In the same way, he stressed that it is necessary to “congratulate oneself” not only because this aid is already beginning to be paid, but also because “we have fulfilled the commitment acquired in a timely manner.”
