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Martes, 14 de enero 2025, 16:40
Emergency medical technicians have confirmed they will continue their strike for salary parity until an agreement is reached. This was stated during a protest held this Tuesday in front of Les Corts, which is part of the indefinite strike in ambulance medical transport that began on December 3, 2024, with nearly 100% participation.
"We will be on strike until we reach an agreement," declared the head of collective bargaining for the Federation of Citizen Services of CCOO PV, Francis Gimeno. He emphasized the importance of maintaining the indefinite strike "in an essential service" like ambulance transport, stating, "If you can endure 40 days, you can endure four months."
Representatives from Compromís and PSPV joined the protest, which took place on a day when the Health Minister, Marciano Gómez, appeared before Les Corts to report on the measures taken by his department in response to the consequences caused by the storm.
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"Forty days is a long time for a strike, especially considering that only 80% of services are being provided to the public," stated the union representative, who claims that services are being "strained" because the strike is being followed 100%, and consequently, "only 80% of ambulances are operational."
Gimeno accused the Valencian Government of "not lifting a finger to resolve the situation," where they primarily demand salary parity with other autonomous communities. They claim that currently, this staff in the Valencian Community is earning "between 25% and 45% less than in other communities." They also demand compliance with the terms of the contract.
The union representative highlighted that the concessionary companies "committed to increasing salaries by 3% over the next two years and are not fulfilling it." "We have no proposal or offer for a salary increase," he lamented.
CCOO PV demands "fair remuneration in line with the required training, as becoming an emergency medical technician requires training as a health emergency technician," a medium-level vocational training. However, in the Valencian Community, they are earning between 1,100 and 1,250 euros per month, "working nights, holidays, Saturdays, Sundays, and holy days." "They are probably the worst-paid EMTs in Spain," he criticized.
The Federation of Citizen Services demands "solutions" from the Valencian Government and has denounced "the impoverishing strategy of always offering conditions at the lowest." "The concession system is a perverse system that allows the contract to be awarded to the lowest bid, at the expense of quality and service conditions," he criticized. The union urges the Valencian Government to force the employers to meet with the union representation to bring a proposal for an agreement.
From PSPV, deputy Rafa Simó lamented, in statements to the media, that the group "has been on strike for more than 40 days" and has not yet been "personally attended to" by the minister. "It is unacceptable," he indicated, although he admitted that the situation is "complicated" and the administration "should do more mediation work than direct application."
Nevertheless, he pointed out that for this "the public administration is also there: to bring workers and employers together and try to reach an agreement." "What we cannot allow is to have an emergency and medical transport service 'low cost' for more than 40 days, with 80% of the tasks being done with taxis, which do not provide the necessary service, leaving people with reduced mobility at their doorsteps without being able to bring them home, for example."
"To solve things, the first thing to do is to sit down. And, for now, we are not finding that dialogue, those desires, and that willingness to negotiate," he concluded.
However, the Health Minister, Marciano Gómez, referred to this protest during his appearance, in which he defended that the workers are "excellent professionals" and emphasized that the tender for this service was "inherited" from the previous Botànic government.
In any case, he stated that the minimum services are "absolutely guaranteed," with 80% of the TNA and with a "better service" than what the current opposition had in 2016-2017 when a strike was also called.
Gómez emphasized that it is a conflict "between a company and its workers" and stressed that he has met with both parties, as has the Directorate General of the Economic Regime. He also pointed out that the President of the Generalitat, Carlos Mazón, recently discussed the situation with a union at an event in Castellón.
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