The new virtual system of the Service of Mediation, Arbitration and Conciliation (SEMAC), which simplifies the management of labor conciliation procedures is already underway.
The platform, which allows procedures to be carried out electronically and reduces citizen travel, has been promoted by the Ministry of Tourism and Employment of the Government of the Canary Islands, through the Directorate General of Labor.
During the presentation of the new system and the demonstration of its operation, the Minister of Tourism and Employment, Jéssica de León, assured that “with this tool we take another step in the modernization of public services and facilitate citizen access to these procedures, especially for those who live on the non-capital islands, or in the south of the islands, who until now had to travel to carry out these types of procedures”.
“There were citizens who arrived at trial without conciliating because Semac could not cope”, the minister continued, and explained that “the department barely had two legal professionals per province and we have incorporated eight, four per province, and ten administrative staff”.
She also recalled that “when we took office in this legislature, everything was done on paper, from conciliation minutes to recording the results of union elections, and in these three and a half years we have digitized and modernized until we reached this point, at which time we are going to eliminate the historical waiting list in the Canary Islands during this month”. In this regard, she stated that “we have gone from 30 or 40 conciliations per week to 576 in just two weeks of teleconciliation operation, which is a fundamental right of workers that was not being met”.
De León highlighted that, in these two weeks of operation, the tool has issued 1,156 electronic notifications.” What we have done, together with the Directorate General of Modernization, has been to transfer all SEMAC's activity to the digital environment, a change that simplifies daily management and facilitates procedures for both staff and citizens”.
“With the new service, people residing on islands like La Gomera or El Hierro will no longer have to travel to Tenerife to carry out these procedures, as was the case until now. We are thus eliminating an unfair barrier that affected many users and offering a more convenient, accessible, and efficient service”.
Among the first results of the system, the good reception of the "any island" modality stands out, chosen in 208 applications, 36% of the total. For the minister, "these figures show that the service is reaching the entire archipelago and that more and more people can carry out their procedures without needing to travel to another island." Tenerife adds 184 conciliations and Gran Canaria 170.
For his part, the Director General of Labor, José Ramón Rodríguez, highlighted that "we had a historical delay and now we have more than 1,000 appointments that will take place before the end of the month." The number of lawyers and representatives who have used the platform has gone from 36 to 50, an evolution that shows the rapid adaptation of professionals to this new system. SEMAC Virtual allows conciliations to be held by videoconference, identification through the Electronic Headquarters of the Government of the Canary Islands, and digital signing of minutes via QR code, making the entire process more agile and simple.
The technical general secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Employment, Francisco Padilla, explained that "the system is open to continue progressing and tries to adapt as much as possible to the in-person experience" and stressed that "to implement the tool, the involved groups, such as the Colleges of Social Graduates and the Colleges of Professional Lawyers, were consulted, and with them we finalized the tool."
Padilla clarified that "often when they come for in-person mediation, there is a prior period in which both parties see each other, and perhaps during that time they talk and reach an agreement. Likewise, remotely, we open the system ten or twelve minutes earlier where only the parties are present and they also reach an agreement before starting," he pointed out.
Francisco Padilla indicated that, in the future, an interconnection with the social jurisdiction could be established to expedite both procedures.
Add La Voz de Lanzarote as a preferred Google source.
Stay informed with the latest current news.
