“We are close to collapse, it is almost impossible to make appointments for citizens”

Social security staff raise all alarms. The CCOO, UGT and CSIF a few days ago condemned the “unsustainable situation” in a public body that manages such important benefits as pensions, maternity leave (ex-paternity and maternity leave), minimum subsistence income and disability, and much more. “It can not be almost impossible to make appointments in the public service,” condemned Ignacio Galan, CCOO. “We have people from Madrid who have processed their pensions into Ciudad Real because it was almost impossible to make an appointment,” he added.

The CCOO submitted three reports this Thursday on the situation of social security personnel: one today, which puts the union on the verge of collapse; On the deterioration of the workforce in recent years, where they point to 2012 as a critical point in the lack of replacement of retired workers and the lack of resistance to staff reinforcement; Finally, a third study on retirement projections for the coming years, numbering in the thousands with a very aging workforce.

Currently, the total number of public employees providing their effective services in the field of social security is 23,238, explained Ignacio Galan, head of the union of this public body, and Juana Olmeda, Secretary General of the FSC-CCOO. “More than 6,000 people, a fifth of the workforce, have been lost since 2009 by the end of last year,” Olmeda said, warning that workers could not provide good public services to citizens.

The situation was “calmed down thanks to the hard work and dedication of the workers,” a union representative warned. But at this point even this extra load does not cover the body’s shortcomings, condemned Ignacio Galan. “Going to any social security procedure today, such as IMV or pension processing, is an obstacle,” the trade unionists lamented.

Two-thirds of the workforce retires in ten years

Today, staff are unable to provide all the work that Social Security manages, but in the coming years the situation is critical, say most representative unions. After so many years, the workforce is too old without a sufficient supply of places in a public institution: staff under the age of 50 now make up less than 20% of the social workforce.

This situation means that in the near future there will be thousands in terms of retirement. The CCOO has warned that 6,321 civil servants will retire in five years, 28% of the current workforce, but in ten years the casualties will reach almost two-thirds of the staff: 64.33% of workers.

For this reason, the three most representative unions (CCOO, UGT and CSIF) have demanded that the government launch an urgent call for an emergency job offer that includes current and future vacancies. “Next year we will lose 2,000 soldiers: 500 from the treasury, 500 from the INSS and their minimum living income. “There are a total of 2,000 people,” said the head of the Social Protection Union.

As the situation is very critical, the CCOO is calling for a “shock plan” to cover vacancies with temporary workers at the moment, and an Emergency Public Employment Offer (OPE) is being developed to stabilize these positions. A process that can take several years, given the size of the staff, “about 7,000 workers” to provide good service, according to the CCOO.

Warning about a “digital divide”

In the unions, they acknowledge that modernizing public services leads to the digitization of many procedures, without face-to-face attention in offices, but warn that technology is also causing problems with its accelerated implementation to “cover” the deficit. Due to lack of training in staff and offices of public institutions and good computer equipment.

“UGT, CSIF and CCOO are not against the undoubted advancement of new technologies. “But not recognizing the ‘digital flaw’ in so-called empty Spain is ignoring the reality of our country.” Trade unions condemn that citizens do not accept appointments “and should definitely turn to private management to solve problems”. For example, “access to their public pension, working life, IMV, or other social security procedures that, after many years of failing to receive the deserved, quality public service to which they are entitled, means a lack of responsibility and respect. “The whole citizenship,” they criticize.

The CCOO clarified this Thursday that it is awaiting a meeting with the Ministry of Social Affairs, headed by Jose Luis Eskriva, to resolve the issue. “We are giving up to 20 chances to the minister and we will see according to what he tells us. “We will mobilize if their response is not satisfactory,” Galan warned.