The budget for 2024 amounts to 2,870,828 euros. Arona Desarrollo SA (Adesa)a municipal company that manages the seven public care centers: Day Center and the Los Cristianos Senior Residence, the Buzanada Children’s Center and the El Fraile Nursery School, the NIRA Shelter for victims of gender violence, the Chindia Children’s Home and the El Mojón Functional Diversity Center. The current budget, extended from 2020, increases by 103,643 euros, and was approved yesterday by the general meeting of Adesa with the vote in favor of the government team (PP, CC and MxA), against the PSOE and the abstention of VOX and Nueva Canarias .
Of the 2.8 million, Adesa allocates to personnel 2,172,000 euros, an increase of 16.55% that will be used to cover the increase in geriatric, nursing and social work assistants for the nursing home, as well as two new administrative positions, one of them for a specialist in labor relations. Also to the salary increase to adapt the remuneration of the 82 Adesa employees to what corresponds to them based on their professional categories. As a novelty, it includes the payment of overtime and 24-hour guards, a labor and union demand from almost two decades ago.
Councilor Pura Martín highlights that it dignifies workers and improves public services
It allocates 189,295 euros to the supply of food and beverages for the centers, 47,000 euros more (+33.12%) due to the increase in the cost of raw materials. For general supplies, it reserves 139,000 euros, 3,900 euros more due to the increase in cleaning, cleaning and hygiene products and study materials, in addition to the increase in the cost of water, electricity and propane services. The forecast for repairs and maintenance is 31,250 euros, a reduction of 16.67% due to preventive maintenance already carried out, the renovation of equipment, appliances and machinery, as well as the kitchen of the children’s home. Vehicle repair and maintenance will be put out to tender through renting.
The rental expense increases because, after a tender, Adesa changed its headquarters to a location suitable for its needs (the rent goes from 13,000 to 15,300 euros).
For external services –cognitive stimulation, specialized therapies for the elderly and disabilities, legal advice, cleaning or disinfestation–, Adesa has 158,689 euros (–60.13%). The savings respond to the commitment to using their own kitchen staff instead of catering, they dispense with external transportation, they lower expenses on banking services and advertising and because they are pending bidding for therapies that were no longer provided.
The PSOE rejects Adesa’s Budget for 2024 because “it represents a setback in social policies, which reduces services for users and does not provide any new proposals for residents.” In addition to the fact that “it increases only 3.75% compared to three years ago, which does not even cover the increase in the CPI for that period,” Haridiam Cruz, advisor to the socialist group in the company, criticizes that it is “a budget without political project” that “leaves to zero the specialized services provided at the Mojón Functional Diversity Center”, such as specialized therapy and therapeutic leisure or the digital literacy service, among others. She highlights that “they provide support for families with a member with functional diversity.” He accuses the municipal government of denying the opposition its participation in the preparation of the budgets, a document that, he claims, was prepared for the first time by “an external company hired after removing the entity’s manager.” The PSOE warns of “a series of errors” that “can modify the budget and annul agreements,” as well as “condition those of the City Council.” Cruz maintains that, in the last plenary session, social services returned more than two million euros “because they did not know where to use them, according to the government’s words.”
A change of direction
The mayor, Fatima Lemes, highlights that this budget is “a change of direction in improving the conditions of workers and services. “We will continue working to achieve new objectives and new management and planning for Adesa.”
The councilor responsible for Arona Desarrollo SA, Pure Martin, highlights that “it dignifies the people who work at Adesa” by adjusting their salaries, paying for 24-hour guards and extraordinary services, increasing staff and filling the vacant positions of company manager, management of the Functional Diversity Center and another 10 assistance positions. Likewise, it stands out that the budget of the company that manages the social services centers will come into force at the beginning of next year.
