Hot start of the political course in Andalusia: forest firefighters threaten to take to the streets

They had been warning for some time that their patience had a limit, and it seems that it has reached its limit. The forest firefighters of Andalusia plan to start “forceful” mobilizations from the month of September to denounce the lack of information on the integration of the workers of the Environment and Water Agency (Amaya) in the new Security and Integral Management Agency of Emergencies of Andalusia (Asema). An organization that the Junta de Andalucía presented as a kind of autonomous Military Emergency Unit (UME), but which was supposedly announced before establishing the conditions for the transfer of the Infoca Plan personnel who fight against forest fires. The protests, if they are not appeased in response to the demands of the staff, could condition the start of the new political course of the Andalusian president, Juanma Moreno, who these days is also hearing severe criticism from the opposition for the health planning this summer.

Sources consulted by El Confidencial pointed out that “it is going to be a big mess in September” because “we are fed up” with the “obscurantism” of the regional leaders, with whom in recent times various meetings have been held that have not allayed suspicions about ” a setback in the working conditions of the staff”.

“Whatever is done, will be fat,” warned the aforementioned sources, who pointed out that the forest firefighters and other Amaya employees are willing to mark the return of political activity so that, “once and for all, they take us in Serious”. “The mobilizations are postponed until September due to responsibility, because we are in a season of high risk of fires, but our patience has run out. We are fed up,” they said..

The protests are promoted by the unions Unión Independiente de Trabajadores de Andalucía (UITA), UGT, CCOO and CSIF, which accuse the Ministry of the Presidency, Interior, Social Dialogue and Administrative Simplification of lying when they affirm that they are negotiating because “we do not know ” how the Asema will operate. The various sources consulted by this newspaper described the position of the Andalusian government governed by the PP as a “little theatre”, “stage performance” and “theatrical function”, a party that they reproached for defending the recovery in the regional Parliament when it was in opposition of lost antiquity.

The existence of a device that is 100% operational all year round, which leads to an improvement in prevention work in winter in view of the most dangerous season, is another issue that forest firefighters have been demanding for some time and that has not been addressed.. A change that would require suppressing discontinuous permanent public employment offers and hiring staff during the 12 months. No party that has been in the regional Executive has wanted to satisfy this demand backed by the citizenry.

The professionals of the Infoca Plan and the Environment and Water Agency are willing to sneak into the political agenda after the return of the holidays and they plan to meet with the different parliamentary groups to publicize the current situation of the workforce.

The mobilizations are planned for September and will continue until the regional Administration parks the “obscurantism” and the “lack of information”, and meets the “acquired commitments”. Meanwhile, the affected workers are summoned to participate this August in different concentrations.

Antonio Sanz, Minister of the Presidency, Interior, Social Dialogue and Administrative Simplification, presented the fire-fighting device for 2023 at the beginning of January and reported that it had a budget of 223 million euros, 27% more than in the previous year. Of this amount, 125 million are allocated to prevention, “an amount that exceeds for the first time the investment in extinction —98 million—”.

A total of 4,700 professionals work in the service, of which 4,448 are public workers, including civil servants and labor personnel from the Administration and the Andalusian Environment and Water Agency. In addition to the human team, the device operates with a fleet of 117 heavy vehicles (101 pumpers and 16 water pumps), of which 15 units have been renewed this year and are causing staff complaints due to their breakdowns.. The air resources chartered by the Board add up to 36 aircraft.