Aprosdeco faces his second month without pay and announces a demonstration: "It is time to move from words to deeds"
The Aprosdeco association has called this morning a press conference at the Occupational Center of La Xara to give visibility to the serious problems that the center is dragging due to the non-payment of the Conselleria of pending bills worth more than € 650.000. This call has been joined by the municipalities of Dénia, Xàbia, Gata de Gorgos, Benitatxell, Ondara and Pedreguer to show their support for the claim.
Workers at the center face the second month without wages. Conselleria has pending payment of the invoices to the association since last November, amounting to 668.160 euros in debt. A fact that has caused them to no longer be able to assume the salaries of the 33 workers in June, and that at this rate everything indicates that it will be repeated this July.
As they explain from Aprosdeco, the lengths of the Conselleria are constant, having been told that they would charge the first invoice for November last week (to date they have not received anything) and another two before the end of the month, something they believe is unlikely. In fact, from the Conselleria they drain the package saying that "it is a matter of the administration." "At least they tell the reason and show their faces," said Ana Zambrana, director of Aprosdeco.
The only solution they are given is to ask for a loan, but they refuse to pay interest due to the fact that the Ministry does not comply. In addition, they affirm that the responsible minister, Mónica Oltra, does not express herself in this regard. "The Department has boasted that Social Welfare is a priority. Well, it is time to move from words to deeds, said José Albort, union representative of UGT, who also announced a rally in Valencia for next July 22.
In addition, along the same lines, the Ministry tries to justify itself by blaming Aprosdeco that they are in a situation of "unfair compensation" because there is a tender in progress, the previous term having met the deadline. In other words, Aprosdeco is offering the service when its contract would have to have ended for a new one to start. Now, this new tender closed the application period in December 2019, in which the association participated. On February 3, 2020, only two of the three contest envelopes had been opened. Since then, the third and last one has not been opened, so the Ministry is, in this way, delaying the award of the new contract that could make the Occupational Center fall back into the hands of Aprosdeco.
Anyway, today there are 8 bills pending to be paid to an association that is in charge of running a public center of great need that serves 91 people from all over the region. Several city councils have already announced that they will take motions to their plenary sessions to support the demand to the council, among them that of Dénia, Xàbia and Benitatxell, as confirmed by their representatives present. Now, in addition to the concentration of July 22, it only remains to wait for the Ministry to comply so that the workers can recover their salaries and the center can face each of the expenses that their work requires.