SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 29th May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Department of the Presidency, Public Administration, Justice and Security of the Canary Islands Government has announced its commitment to continue with the roadmap established at the beginning of this term to enhance the resources and staff in response to the deficiencies faced by the Institutes of Legal Medicine (IML), regardless of the decision by a percentage of forensic doctors at the IML in Santa Cruz de Tenerife to resume the strike that was previously suspended on 20th May.
The Director-General for Relations with the Administration of Justice, Mari Carmen de León, expressed disappointment at the lack of willingness to negotiate shown during the meeting held yesterday, Tuesday. At this meeting, representatives of a group of forensic doctors – not representing the entire IML workforce – opted to persist with their protests.
“Although they suggested a pause in the strike, they simultaneously presented us with a document in which, rather than toning down their original demands when they initiated the strike, they have expanded them. Out of the nine demands, only one aligns with the three issues included in the strike notice from January,” explained the Director-General.
Mari Carmen de León highlighted that the primary demand has consistently been the removal of the director and emphasised that it is illogical to dismiss someone who is due to retire in a month, on 5th July. She also mentioned that on 17th July 2023, the previous administration issued a resolution confirming that there were no grounds to initiate disciplinary action against him.
“Moreover, neither the initial demands nor the mandate of this strike committee encompass negotiating working conditions for a specific group of employees,” De León stated, clarifying that the General Directorate “has always been open to discussions regarding changes in these working conditions”. Nevertheless, she reiterated that such discussions should occur in a forum representing all forensic doctors at the IML, as the impact extends beyond just those participating in the strike.
Throughout these ten months of the term, Mari Carmen de León emphasised that the Ministry, through the General Directorate for Relations with the Administration of Justice, has instigated improvements to the Tenerife IML facilities, recognising the outdated nature of the current premises. “Hence, the Ministry, in collaboration with the University of La Laguna (ULL) and the Ministry of Justice, is actively looking for suitable land to construct new facilities, bearing in mind that the process of building a new facility cannot be completed within ten months,” she added.
Furthermore, she highlighted that reinforcement personnel, including forensic experts, autopsy assistants, procedural processors, and judicial assistants, have been recruited since August. Simultaneously, efforts are ongoing to update the Job List (RPT) to address the long-standing staff shortages that should have been resolved years earlier. “We are the first Government to tackle this necessary RPT modification,” she remarked.
The Director-General also mentioned that the budget for equipment purchases has tripled, and the procurement process will be streamlined to enable IML staff to directly place orders with suppliers, subject to subsequent oversight by the General Directorate.
