The labor dispute which is straining relations between Santiago City Hall and its emergency services could be on the verge of resolution. The local government plans to present a final proposal this week to reach an agreement with the fire and police unions. … And unblock, before the most critical dates of Christmas, a situation which has been hampering the functioning of the two organizations for more than a month, which are demanding that a remedy be provided to the staff shortage and the paralysis of overtime pay in their salaries since 2010.
The mayor, Goretti Sanmartín, announced this Monday in a press conference that, although a meeting was scheduled for that day, Raxoi has chosen to “study the situation well” and finalize an offer with which to close the negotiation and that it is “very possible”, she said, that it will be formally presented to the unions in the coming days. The idea is that the details are first analyzed within the working group and then made public “clearly”, when they are already aware of them.
One of the central axes of the negotiation is the List of Job Positions (RPT), a key document for the organization of functions, remuneration and social benefits. An area in which, assured Sanmartín, “significant progress is being made”, such as in the revision of the price of overtime, for which a meeting has already taken place with the team responsible for preparing the RPT during which the schedule, planning and methodology to be followed were explained. The councilor confirmed that, despite the confrontation, there is “union unanimity” regarding the need to carry out this process. And that, to do this, the criteria which determine the specific supplement that workers receive must be clearly established.
Added to this progress is an immediate economic gesture: during the municipal plenary session this Wednesday, the Council will approve a file for updating the payment of pending bonuses to firefighters and police officers, which cover the period between June and October 2025, as well as those corresponding to the public holiday of this month.
But the negotiation, for the moment, is stagnating. In her speech, the mayor called for the “responsibility” of workers after what happened on Sunday, when the police forces planned for the demonstration against the Altri project were drastically reduced – of the eight officers planned, only two were on duty, in addition to an inspector and an agent – and surveillance of the Hórreo tunnel had to be assumed by the concessionary company of the installation.
With a definitive proposal on the table and key economic issues closed, Raxoi is confident he has found the recipe to return normality to emergency services.
About The Author
