SANTA CRUZ DE LA PALMA, December 20 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The President of the Government of the Canary Islands, Ángel Víctor Torres, that of the Cabildo de La Palma, Mariano Hernández, and the mayors of Tazacorte, Los Llanos de Aridane and El Paso, Juan Miguel Rodríguez, Noelia García and Sergio Rodríguez, respectively, have signed this Monday the extraordinary employment plan of La Palma endowed with 63 million and that will generate 1,675 jobs.
In front of journalists, Torres has highlighted the “immense work and in a short time” of the Canarian Employment Service for launching the plan, which is in addition to the 10 million in aid received by companies on the island to lessen the effects of the pandemic.
The president has commented that the Canary Islands has a comprehensive employment plan “which is mandatory” and has 42 million for 2022 next year, “and it often takes more than six months” to sign and this Monday the one of La Palma just three months since the volcano erupted.
“It had never been done in such a short space of time but because it is essential,” he pointed out, also underlining that “a step” is being taken in the reconstruction of La Palma, damaged by the pandemic and the volcano, which has increased the rate of unemployment, although with this agreement it will return to prepandmeical figures.
Torres has highlighted the “unity” of all administrations and pointed out that these Christmases “are going to be special” on the island because there will be a “bittersweet feeling” on December 24 “if the death of the volcano is ratified and the destruction ends” and “sour” because “it should never have been given.”
“We did not think about this destructive capacity and this shock, but the strength of the island is beyond doubt,” he said, while stressing that “maximum efforts” must be made to “put things as they were.”
Mariano Hernández commented that this Sunday “the first stone” of the reconstruction of the island was laid with the launch of the Roque de Los Muchachos visitor center, a “leading facility that enhances the observatory” and continues this Monday with the first agreements of the employment plan.
He has valued the management of the SCE because “it has had to work and run a lot” highlighted and the signing of a plan endowed with 63 million when for the entire Canary Islands 42 million are received – now 44 million are transferred – which reveals the ” commitment “of the central government with the island, and that in the specific case of the Cabildo will involve the hiring of 257 people.
He has said that this agreement “helps to have hope” and consolidates La Palma as an “island of opportunities” and that he wants to “generate an economy with his own hands”. “This agreement is an example of unity and joint work,” he explained.
“THE PLAN IS GOING TO BE REVULSIVE”
Juan Miguel Rodríguez has commented that “it is a positive day within the negative” because “a glimmer of hope opens up” after the eruption and now he hopes that “all the administrations” are “up to par.”
Sergio Rodríguez has said that the employment plan is “a step forward of hope” because if there were employment needs on the island “now even more.”
Noelia García has highlighted the “push” of the director of the SCE, Dunia Rodríguez, to carry out the plan and thanked the central government for putting 63 million on the table for La Palma, an amount “never imaginable”.
He pointed out that the plan “is going to be a shock” for the unemployed and victims of the volcano, but also for the self-employed and businessmen “who are having a hard time” and who also want to “generate employment and wealth for themselves.”
Among other actions, the plan includes maintenance, conservation and adaptation of natural and urban spaces; conditioning of landscaped and rural areas, agricultural tracks and trails; repair of roads and public buildings, cleaning of ash, ravines and the hydraulic network; projects for the reconstruction of isolated areas; management of aid from legal services, reinforcement of municipal and island services, support in the relocation of affected families and assistance in reconstruction work.
MAXIMUM PLACE OF 12 MONTHS
These first five agreements have a maximum execution period of 12 months, although there will be contracts for that time, but also for 9 and 6 months.
The main profiles that will be incorporated are those of Law graduates, engineers, architects, first class masonry, plumbing, electricity, laborers and administrative assistants.
In addition, those hired will receive training in occupational risk prevention, training and skills for the development of scheduled tasks.
In the case of the municipality of El Paso, these first agreements foresee an investment of 3.98 million that will allow to hire 140 unemployed.
Los Llanos de Aridane will have 5.75 million to employ a total of 222 people in reconstruction work in areas affected by the volcano, while Tazacorte will allocate 2.53 million to a socioeconomic restructuring of the municipality that provides for the incorporation of 191 unemployed .
For its part, the Cabildo de La Palma will manage in this first stage a total of 7.57 million that will make it possible to employ 257 people, while the Gesplan company has drawn up an emergency employment plan for the volcano with a total of 24 , 54 million that is scheduled to hire 865 people.
In the recovery work, the Gesplan company, which has its experience in rebuilding the island of Fogo (Cape Verde) after another eruption, is in charge of the valuation reports of the affected homes and is drawing up the territorial framework for the recovery of normality.
For its part, Gestur is in charge of drafting a study on the proposals for the recovery of the affected areas by the local and island administrations, and Grafcan, the company of graphics and maps of the islands, is focusing on the creation of a dashboard for daily monitoring of the damage identified by the eruption through cartographic products.
