The council approves asking the Spanish Executive for free public transport in Tenerife, both by bus and by tram, between September 1 and December 31 next. With the vote against PSOE and Cs, the partners of the island government. It is the result of the extraordinary plenary session convened in August, a month that is usually not working, at the request of the Canarian Coalition group.
The monographic session had a single item on the agenda but the five amendments presented by the political groups were voted on separately. The original text of CC was enriched with the contributions of the Popular Party and Sí Podemos Canarias. The purples joined the initiative, although they support the island government from outside. The final result was 16 votes in favor and 10 against. Five of the 31 directors were absent in the extraordinary session of the holiday month. Two from PSOE –Carmen Luz Baso and Javier Parrilla–, one from Cs –Concepción Rivero–, one from CC –Carmen Delia Alberto– and one from PP -Águeda Fumero–
The proposal finally approved is based on the one presented by CC. It urges that, as of September 1 and until December 31, the vouchers for recurring use of Titsa and Metropolitano de Tenerife are “free and with the same conditions, in terms of use and management, that the State offers to the rest of citizens of the country.”
The initiative also requests that the Cabildo claim the Government of the Canary Islands and this, in turn, requires the State, “financial compensation for the cost of offering citizens this help.” Likewise, the agreement requests another state subsidy to the Autonomous Community “that allows maintaining at least the 50% discount” from January 2023.
The PP incorporates into the conclusions of the document that the Cabildo de Tenerife, based on the unanimous agreement reached during the last Debate on the State of the Island (last April), extend the free use of the most frequently used vouchers throughout the year 2023 university students, patients from the reference hospitals (HUC and La Candelaria) and those over 65 years of age.
The popular make the proposal with three main objectives: promote the use of public transport against private, help these groups in the current economic situation and mitigate traffic collapses on highways at peak times. For this “both the Central Government and the Canary Islands will be urged to co-finance said measure.”
Finally, within the consensual wording by this improvised tripartite, Sí Podemos Canarias includes compliance with what was approved in plenary commission on April 27 in the sense of creating a specific title for those who reside in Tenerife, but are not formally registered to obtain the benefit of the planned bonuses.
“Second” to “affectionate”.
The nationalist spokesman, Carlos Alonso, points out in the Extraordinary Plenary that “Pedro Sánchez came to the Canary Islands to tell us that they treat us like second-class citizens.” And he adds that «the socialists of the Canary Islands and Tenerife accept it. They have not supported a measure so that they treat us the same as the rest of the Spanish.
The also nationalist Félix Fariña, proponent of the motion, adds: «In the peninsula and the Balearic Islands, the State finances 100% of the commuter trains and we ask for the same with the buses and the tram». He underlines: «The PSOE has voted against this measure, but we have managed to approve it. We have to defend our rights and we will do as many initiatives as necessary to achieve it.
The intervention of the spokesman for the Socialist Group, Javier Rodríguez Medina, moves in the opposite direction with respect to those of the advisors of the Canarian Coalition. He values the arguments of the opposition as “segregated, irrelevant, ridiculous and fallacious” in the face of the “fair, correct and affectionate” treatment of the Government of Pedro Sánchez.
A “permanent” percentage.
The speech by Enrique Arriaga (Cs), president of Titsa and Metropolitano, focuses on a driving idea that he repeats several times: “Whether the percentage discount is what it is and it is set that way, but on a permanent basis, without giving up the Free for these four months. He sums up: “We must all put our shoulders to the wheel and that means financing from the state and from the Government of the Canary Islands because the Cabildo cannot assume that investment of millions of euros alone.” He goes to the popular spokesman to describe his formation as the Populist Party. Fernández (PP) is committed to gratuity with a social meaning for vulnerable groups as the axis of the argument. He responds to Arriaga with an eloquent “at least we have a game.”
María José Belda (Yes We Can Canary Islands) insists on extending the measure to everyone who resides on the Island even if they are not registered.
quality vote.
The quality vote of the president of the Cabildo, Pedro Martín, decides, after two ties to thirteen, the rejection of an additional amendment by CC-PNC that makes direct reference to Titsa. In it, a meeting of the government group and the company’s management with the workers is proposed to “offer the widest possible service in the face of the foreseeable increase in demand caused by the reduction in the rate.” The request was “immediately and this week” so that “before September 1, the appropriate agreements can be reached and thus avoid further damage to citizens.” This initiative was also rejected by Sí Podemos Canarias.
The purple ones did not obtain sufficient support in their amendment to the totality, as well as Citizens (10 in favor and 16 against, in both cases). It should be remembered that the Titsa Works Committee, with a majority from Intersindical Canaria (IC), has announced an indefinite strike in the service starting on September 7.
Unanimous support.
In a totally contrary sense to the previous one, a second additional amendment from the Canary Coalition receives unanimous support –26 votes in favor and none against– which proposes to request the State a subsidy to the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands that allows maintaining the discount of at least 50% to public transport from January 2023; that is, beyond December 31 and the four months proposed by the Madrid Government. The proposal was incorporated into the generic agreement.
