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Date Published: 17/05/2023

Social Security office strikes in Spain called off

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The workers’ unions representing staff across Spain have reached an agreement with the government

Social Security office strikes in Spain called off

Workers in Social Security offices in Spain have called off their planned industrial action after the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration agreed to add an extra 3,525 staff to the payroll. Minister José Luis Escrivá has also committed to implementing teleworking, developing a Social Security Administration Agency and reviewing the productivity supplement paid to workers.

Last week, the CCOO and CSIF threatened partial work stoppages every Friday in May before an all-out strike beginning on September 7 if their demands weren’t met. This would have been the first strike in the history of Social Security and would likely have caused serious delays for customers.

With regard to the expansion of the workforce, Social Security has promised to advertise for 2,500 new employees, while the other 1,025 will be hired to process the Minimum Vital Income. The agreement doesn’t specify how many staff will be added to customer services, one of the departments that has received the most complaints from citizens in recent years.

Minister Escrivá has also agreed to make all temporary positions permanent and to complete a comprehensive review of the internal promotion process.

The agreement signed between the Spanish government and the unions also includes the implementation of at least one day of voluntary teleworking per week from July 1, once this doesn’t impact customer service, and if successful the initiative will be expanded to two days from January 2024.

Another stand-out is the creation of the Administration Agency, which will unify all the major sectors of Social Security (TGSS, INSS, Imserso etc) under the one umbrella. This will result in a more “agile and effective” system for both staff and customers, according to sources.

Finally, the unions and Ministry have agreed to review the productivity model, which pays bonuses to employees based on their performance, and improvements have been established in areas like training and occupational risk prevention.

In other news: Right-wing Spanish politician arrested for drug trafficking

Image: Freepik

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