The PSOE and PP have both reprimanded the municipal administration of San Miguel de Abona (Canary Coalition) for its “worrying lack of management” and “absence of will and planning” with regard to the Local Police in terms of human resources. The critique resonates with that of the Independent Trade Union Centre and Civil Servants (CSIF), which attributes the “inaction” of councillor Antonio Manuel Rodríguez as the root cause of “an acute situation endangering the safety of residents and the welfare of municipal workers.”
The union indicates the presence of “a psychosocial risk report, released over 18 months ago,” which demonstrates that there are «maximum alert levels in the Security department due to overwhelming workloads and confrontational circumstances. The shortfall in police personnel (stemming from unfilled three positions established a year ago and instances of temporary sick leave) results in a workforce experiencing “an intolerable work overload that jeopardises their health and puts their lives at risk.”
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The CSIF regards it as “unacceptable that while our agents are operating under severe conditions, the human resources councillor remains inactive in the comfort of his office.” Consequently, it demands the immediate convening of the negotiation table to ratify the guidelines for the recruitment process of the three Local Police officer positions sanctioned and budgeted for January 2024, as well as to “implement temporary measures that allow for the filling of vacant roles.” Additionally, it insists on the swift introduction of corrective actions to safeguard the health of agents and a sustainable plan for workforce expansion.
“There is an alarming lack of management on the part of the Human Resources councillor”
Carol Correa
— PSOE Councillor
Carol Correa urges the governing group to “act promptly to rectify this situation.” The socialist councillor asserts that the complaint from the CSIF union “highlights a troubling lack of management from the Human Resources councillor.” She aligns her stance with the union and emphasises that “the absence of foresight and planning from the governing body endangers our neighbours’ safety as well as the health of the Local Police officers, who have been enduring unacceptable working conditions for months.
“We urge the mayor not to ignore this issue and to take necessary decisions”
Fausto Pons
— Municipal spokesperson for the Popular Party
Fausto Pons insists on “an urgent solution” to the “security crisis” faced by San Miguel de Abona. The PP spokesperson calls for “immediate measures by the local administration to fill vacancies within the Local Police, with the objective of alleviating the work overload highlighted by the CSIF.” In light of the union’s perspective, Pons asserts that “the Human Resources councillor has demonstrated an inability to address this crisis, responding with indifference and negligence,” hence “we request that the mayor does not turn a blind eye and accepts the decisions required to address this issue.” The PP believes that “San Miguel Seguro cannot merely be a slogan.”
Both opposition parties in the municipality (Vox has not made any comments) will be seeking the psychosocial risks report.
