The most massive process of oppositions of the Generalitat that is remembered is on the way to being, also, the most disastrous. In the exams held last Saturday, in which 13,500 people aspired to one of the 1,825 places called, there were so many incidents and irregularities (delays of up to six hours, overcrowded classes, lack of answer sheets, etc.), that the Government had to react immediately, apologizing for the fiasco and promising to provide a solution. The Government announced the sudden dismissal of the general director of the Public Service, Marta Martorell, although it is unlikely that with this gesture she will be able to silence the criticism that fell practically everywhere. The pre-election period is propitious terrain for any failure of the adversary to be expressed to question his ability to manage. The Government cannot shelve this matter either placing the bulk of the blame on the organizing company of the tests, without addressing several questions that deserve an answer.
One of the most frequently asked questions is Why was the opposition process outsourced?, instead of being assumed by the public sector. In fact, it is the first time that an external company is in charge of doing it, which the Government justifies for various reasons. The first, the large volume of applicants. The second, the fact that, as it is an internal stabilization process of the Generalitat, many people who usually participate in the organization of the oppositions were precisely going to take the exam that day. And the third that the company that was hired, blindHe had experience because he had already participated in other processes, such as the Post Office and the MIR selection. Outsourcing, if it is justified and the public service is guaranteed, is not ‘per se’ cause for rejection, but the absence of supervision of the process, for which the Generalitat is responsible. And the ability to control is further blurred if the contracted company subcontracts to another company, as has happened in this case. The disorganization of last Saturday uncovers, in fact, one of the ills of the Public Administrations in Spain, not only the Catalan one: the lack of human and material resources. Precisely, the almost 1,800 places in the unsuccessful tests are to stabilize interim positions and reduce excessive temporary employment in the public sectoras required by the European Union.
fine and repetition
In addition to the political decision to dismiss Martorell, the Catalan Executive is studying fine Cegos and terminate the contract of 1.5 million eurosfor non-compliance. Nor does it rule out repeat exams. The ‘councillor’ of the Presidency, Laura Vilagrà, met with the three majority unions of the civil service, with which she agreed to open a mailbox to collect testimonies from those affected. Given that in some cases it is questionable whether the principles of ability, merit and equal access to the oppositions, it is logical that some tests should be repeated, and sooner rather than later, because a possible challenge later, with the places already assigned, would have worse consequences. The result of some oppositions should not give any margin of doubt. AND the Government must diagnose what has gone wrong and explain it. May this unfortunate episode serve to value and care for the public sector, in charge of making the gears of the State work.