Fire prevention staff gathered this Friday in front of the Palau de la Generalitat, summoned by STAS-Intersindical Valenciana, to demand "immediate measures for an essential service subjected for years to precariousness, temporality, and lack of resources." The union's spokesperson at Vaersa, Toni Bernat, denounced that they have to be "enslaved by our vocation."
Before the protest began, Bernat asked attendees, protected by umbrellas and some with fire wigs, to put on their eclipse protection glasses to demonstrate that "the Generalitat is blind." Participants used whistles, horns, and trumpets, and displayed banners with slogans such as 'We are prevention, not exploitation, enough abuse!' or '24/7 Prevention, miserable salary 365 days'.
The union spokesperson stressed that the gathering aims to ask the Generalitat to recognize their work and stop abandoning them in "miserable conditions." Key complaints include not receiving bonuses for schedule changes or dangerous situations, as well as minimal pay for tasks involving cartography, geodetic knowledge, and orientation.
Bernat also denounced that staff work "four and a half months in observatories," when climate change and rising heat necessitate year-round surveillance. Mobile units, which patrol for nine and a half months, face the same situation.
Furthermore, the hiring of 120 people for a public company without a selection process, but rather "by order of arrival" of emails, without demonstrated experience, capacity, or merit, was criticized. The union considers this measure a "political move" and expresses concern for the new staff's safety.
Following a meeting with the Conselleria, the union paused announced protests as a sign of goodwill, but regrets the lack of tangible changes. They demand "a concrete sign, not promises."
Bernat recalled promises made by the PP when in opposition regarding the stabilization of prevention, criticizing that "when they came to power, they did absolutely nothing." A new meeting is expected on September 15th if there is a willingness to reach an agreement.
STAS's core demands include mobile units and observatories working year-round, or at least nine months. Finally, they demanded the elimination of the extra daily hour that workers perform and which Vaersa bills the Conselleria but does not pay to employees, forcing them to be "available in the middle of the field eating wherever they can."
