The Spanish Government has just announced this week a great historic agreement with the unions to end the temporary nature of interim workers in public administrations. No one doubts that this will represent an advance in the labor rights of thousands of workers. The executive has once again demonstrated that dialogue with the different social actors has served to strengthen institutional relations and reach common points, beneficial for society as a whole.
This agreement, carried out by the Socialist Minister of Territorial Policy, Miquel Iceta, will allow the stabilization of thousands of positions before the end of 2024. The affected public employees, including workers of the Arrecife City Council, will put an end to an ordeal that has lasted many years.
However, this news is not a fact with which we should hang medals, but rather reflect on how a country as advanced as Spain has allowed the rate of temporary employment of public employees to reach 28%, even surpassing the private sector with 25%. Unfortunately, the pandemic has marked the political agenda of the last year and a half, but now that we see the light at the end of the tunnel, it is time to solve the great problems that the country has been dragging for years.
The experience acquired, a factor that until now was almost irrelevant, will be valued at 40% of the total computation. In addition, workers who do not see their situation regularized will be entitled to compensation of 20 days per year worked, an amount recognized by the Supreme Court.
Now, it is curious how the Popular Party, who has governed the country from 2011 to 2018, is so interested in this issue from the opposition. Because, when they governed, the popular ones did nothing to solve this problem, but rather let the gap continue to grow. Although it does not surprise us either, since the PP is not very friendly to taking care of the public.
Dialogue is being the best weapon of the Pedro Sánchez Government and, with it, it has managed to reach another great agreement that will guarantee and do justice to the thousands of public employees in an irregular situation, which includes the workers of Arrecife. Let the opposition continue to shout and cry out to the heavens. Let's continue doing politics, dialoguing and building a better country. That is the path from which we cannot deviate.
Alfredo Mendoza, Deputy Mayor and Councilor for Culture, Festivities and Local Police of the PSOE in the Arrecife City Council.
