The Xunta calls two deceased and nine retired people to choose their place as officials

The Galician regional government, known as La Xunta, has issued a revised call for nearly a dozen individuals, two deceased and nine retired, to participate in selecting their definitive positions as civil servants. This follows a recent correction to its initial announcement, which had mistakenly included these individuals in the selection process. The revision comes after a delay spanning over five years in resolving competitive exams and appointments, leading to legal challenges and administrative complications. Between early 2019 and the beginning of 2024, La Xunta organized almost thirty recruitment processes across different categories and specialties, including nursing, physiotherapy, social work, psychology, occupational therapy, and management. These processes aimed to fill various roles within the public administration. However, the implementation of a constitutional ruling by Spain’s Constitutional Court in late 2022 created unforeseen challenges for the regional government. According to the court's decision, civil servants must receive a definitive assignment rather than a provisional one, a change that caught La Xunta off guard. Hundreds of individuals who had passed these recruitment processes were left waiting for definitive placements due to delays criticized by affected staff, public sector unions, and even the Audit Council. The prolonged delay forced the government to revisit its procedures and correct errors in its latest call for position selections. On July 7, the Consellería of Finance and Public Administration published a resolution in the Official Gazette of Galicia, calling all eligible personnel to choose their definitive positions. At the same time, the government was addressing other pending tasks, such as postponed transfer contests. Within days, discrepancies emerged in multiple workplaces, prompting the Galician government itself to acknowledge and rectify them through additional corrections in the official gazette. The revised resolution, issued last Monday and published Tuesday, introduced several changes to the initial order. It explicitly excluded the two deceased individuals, both clinical assistants who had passed the 2019 examinations, and the nine retirees. Among the retirees were two clinical assistants who had completed the functionalization process, five doctors and nurses who entered through the open competition in 2019, and two social educators who took part in the same year’s examinations. In addition to removing these individuals, the updated resolution also excluded others based on various reasons. Several civil servants already holding definitive positions were removed, as well as those who had won legal cases against the regional government. The latter group includes individuals awaiting further rulings from the Supreme Court, which has recently begun issuing favorable decisions regarding converting provisional posts into definitive ones, as requested by the civil service community. The ongoing legal battles and administrative adjustments have highlighted the complexities faced by La Xunta in aligning with the Constitutional Court’s criteria. Many of these cases were paused until the Supreme Court delivered its verdicts, adding layers of uncertainty and prolonging the resolution process. The SATSE union, representing nurses, pointed out this week that the more than five-year delay in resolving competitions and appointments by the Galician government contributed to situations where individuals could no longer participate in the selection process. The union emphasized the need for prompt action to address the backlog and ensure compliance with legal requirements. The revised call underscores the administrative challenges faced by La Xunta in managing a large number of civil servant appointments while adhering to new legal standards. As the government continues to refine its procedures, it faces pressure to expedite the resolution of pending cases and ensure that all eligible candidates can participate in the selection of their definitive positions.