SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Feb. 20 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The director general of Relations with the Administration of Justice of the Government of the Canary Islands, María del Carmen de León, has expressed regret over the “absolute” unwillingness to reach an agreement on the part of the union representatives of the workers of the Institute of Legal Medicine of Tenerife. They have decided to maintain their strike call “despite the fact that this is the first Government in years that has shown from the first minute of this legislature its willingness to provide a solution to the problems that the two IMLs of the Canary Islands have been dealing with for a long time,” she stated.
During the meeting held with union representatives on January 30, they presented three demands to halt the strike. The first was that the proposal for the dismissal of the IML director be communicated to them, a process which they are aware is ongoing. The second request was the hiring of a coroner for Arona, which the General Directorate of Relations with the Administration of Justice has resolved in just 20 days, and the new coroner has already joined.
The third request was the hiring of additional assistants, which has also been swiftly addressed so that the assistants will be incorporated in the coming days. “The previous Government took eight months to manage the hiring of additional personnel, and we have resolved it in three weeks, demonstrating that our priority is to provide solutions to the IML problems.”
“We have demonstrated our commitment to solving the problems of the IML because in these seven months of Government, we have not only resolved what they have asked of us, but many more things that, while not requested, we know are necessary. Yet they call for a strike,” stressed De León, emphasizing that “the problems and deficiencies that the two IMLs in the Canary Islands have been experiencing for years are not resolved with a cessation; they are resolved with a complete reorganization, which is the focus of this Government’s efforts.”
In this respect, the director general explained that the significant lack of personnel must be addressed with a reform of the Job Listing (RPT), “a measure that should have been taken a long time ago and that we have prioritized from the beginning of this legislature.”
Furthermore, the General Directorate of Relations with the Administration of Justice has executed several contracts to address the technical deficiencies that the IML also faces and enhance the internal management of both centres, optimizing human resources. This includes the implementation of an IT system for administration and management that will cater to the functional and technological needs for the processing of files, file management, record maintenance, sample management, and the preparation of reports and statistics, among other functions.
Additionally, the budget for the acquisition of consumables has increased this year by more than 300%, rising from 15,000 to 50,000 euros for each of the IMLs.
“Furthermore, consultations are underway with the ULL and the Territorial Management of the Ministry of Justice to identify a location for new facilities for the IML of Tenerife, acknowledging that the current facilities have become outdated,” added the director general. “In the meantime, we have initiated improvement works at the Ofra headquarters and at the La Laguna Court headquarters.”
In both today’s meeting and the previous meetings with the strike organizers, María del Carmen de León has proposed the establishment of technical committees to address the search for solutions within the powers of the Government of the Canary Islands. However, this possibility has been rejected by the organizing unions.
“Despite not reaching an agreement, we will continue working on the internal changes that the two IMLs need and on providing a solution to their lack of personnel, organizational needs, and material resources needs,” stated the director general. “Our concern now is ensuring the provision of such an essential service will be uninterrupted during the strike.”
