One of the largest unions in the country, Comisiones Obreras (CCOO), publicly denounces the collapse of a key tool for granting benefits to the unemployed. The reaction of the Ministry of Labor denies that there was such a blockage in the computer service in conversations with elEconomista.es. The controversy is servedbut the Government makes an effort to clarify that the State Public Employment Service (SEPE) has responded “with foresight, rigor and professionalism” to the beginning of applications for the new unemployment benefit. Each one plays their tricks.
The SEPE incorporated the new computer tool, ALMA, in which the Government has invested 30 million euros. It is used to process and manage benefits and was implemented on November 4, coinciding with the entry into force of unemployment benefits.
The union affirms that the flood of requests has caused technical problems, a situation that would aggravate the pool of requests that are yet to be resolved. The Government assures that the computer program ‘self-audits’ computer incidents through AGORA.
Each side has its arguments and plays its tricks. In a time of urgency due to the numerous ERTE requests that have to be processed daily due to the impact of DANA in the Mediterranean and, more specifically in Valencia, the Ministry of Labor has made an effort to guarantee the security of the SEPE with a message of tranquility to guarantee that this aid reaches companies and workers.
“In these first days of working with ALMA, We have registered 8,029 applications for subsidies that are already in the pre-recognition phase. These requests will be able to advance to the resolution phase when the functionality of confirming the resolution is enabled before next Friday,” they say. In this phase, no more procedures or personnel are necessary and the payment will be at the end of the month.
Template problems
The central office is pressing to strengthen the SEPE staff and also the training that officials receive. They assure that “in more than 30% of cases, benefits are not being paid in the month following their request” and almost 15% of the care units “are closed due to lack of staff that can attend to them.” “The SEPE handles millions of payrolls, that is not a problem,” they say from the Ministry.
The Government insists that the introduction of the new computer service, ALMA, “has had no impact and the rate of recognition of benefits is maintained compared to previous weeks and months.” They are aware that CCOO’s move, which has released up to two notes to the media talking about “collapse” and “serious technical problems”, wants to serve as pressure method to meet your requests.
For the CCOO union, the staff deficit in the SEPE is “huge”, since as of September 30 it only had 7,508 workers, with a constant staff loss rate of 10% less each year. They predict that the workforce will be made up of less than 7,000 workers by the end of 2024 and They estimate that 12,500 troops are necessary “to be able to function in a minimally satisfactory manner”.
“The technical and human problems put the viability of this fundamental public service at serious risk due to the incompetence of the General Directorate and the Ministry of Labor itself, which leads us to conflict, something that CCOO tried to avoid so as not to worsen the situation in the organization,” says the union. Ultimately, They assure labor conflict “in the face of the certain risk of collapse in the SEPE due to the poor management of those responsible”.
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