The Government will increase the staff of the Labor Inspectorate to 2,332, a record number but half that is demanded

The agency denounces that Integra, the computer application with which the inspectors work, does not work half the time

MADRID, 19 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Government anticipates that the number of Labor Inspectors and Deputy Inspectors will rise to a total of 2,332 this year, once some 133 officials are incorporated who are currently completing the corresponding selection and training processes.

Despite assuming a "record number in Spain", according to the Government in a written response in Congress to a question from Citizens to which Europa Press has had access, there are still 2,168 officials below the minimum required from the body of workers of work.

In another response registered in Congress, this time to a question from Vox, the Government recalls that in 2022 a public employment offer was approved with 181 positions in the Superior Corps of Labor and Social Security Inspectors (146 of free access ; 36 of internal promotion); another 146 positions for the Corps of Sub-inspectors (126 open access; 20 internal promotion); and 128 positions for the Corps of Labor Sub-inspectors, Occupational Health and Safety Scale.

In addition, the Executive highlights the budget items designated to the organization, which in the last three years have grown by 41.5%, from 145.8 to 206.3 million euros.

However, the person in charge of Trade Union Action in the General State Administration in CCOO and also a labor inspector, Josetxo Gándara, explains to Europa Press that these figures are part of the agreements committed by the Government and do not obey a shock plan " extraordinary".

"There is absolutely nothing new," says Gándara, who stresses that the current Labor Inspection staff is typical of a developing country, if the recommendations of the International Labor Organization (ILO) are met.

In its parliamentary responses, the Government also says that it will invest 10 million euros in the technological modernization of the body, with the aim of increasing the efficiency of the inspection activity and reinforcing the tool for the fight against fraud.

In addition, in its parliamentary response, the Government also highlights the creation of an Information Technology, Communications and Planning Support Unit, responsible for leading this modernization process.

Although Gándara welcomes this investment, he also qualifies that it comes to replace the first layer of the system, mainly to supply the organization with new terminals or laptops.

Thus, he denounces that the departure of the Government does not tackle the main problem of the technological means, which have to do with the servers and also with the Integra computer application, which make up the computer backbone of the organization.

The union official explains that the Integra program is one of the main tools for inspectors, since through it they access all the necessary information about a specific company, such as the number of workers or other documentation related to tax information.

"Half the time it doesn't work," denounces Gándara in connection with this tool, which has already been the reason for complaints from workers due to overloads and malfunctions.

As he recalls, the Labor Inspectorate depended on the Ministry of Labor until 2018, when it became an autonomous body. With this change, according to Gándara, the Labor Inspectorate stopped receiving some transversal services, especially computer services, which were previously provided by the ministry and have not yet been recovered.