SCE to audit PES for possible violations of vulnerability criteria

The Ministry of Tourism and Employment of the Government of the Canary Islands, through the Canary Employment Service (SCE), will carry out an exhaustive audit of the Social Employment Plans (PES) awarded on the island of Fuerteventura. The measure follows the detection of a possible breach of the framework agreement signed with the Canary Islands Municipal Federation (FECAM), after the Antigua City Council raised the issue in an official communication on 4 February.

The audit’s central objective is to verify that every position is filled by a person whose file includes the required technical report certifying a situation of vulnerability. These plans, also audited by the Spanish Government, demand that all administrations involved manage them rigorously and in full compliance with the regulations.

“We guarantee that the allocation of the positions of the social employment plans will be carried out strictly complying with the criteria agreed between the SCE and the FECAM,” said Jéssica de León, Canary Government Minister of Tourism and Employment, in an official statement.

Minister León also added that she wishes to thank the work carried out by municipal technicians and the SCE, whose coordinated effort has allowed the detection of these possible breaches of the criteria agreed with the FECAM.

While the audit is underway, the SCE will relocate the administrative procedure to a new office to ensure compliance with the agreed conditions. This decision responds, in part, to the incidents reported by the Antigua City Council, which highlighted deficiencies in technical coordination and a lack of homogeneity in the criteria used to call candidates.

The Social Employment Plans are designed for people in extreme vulnerability and risk. An indispensable requirement for allocating a position is a municipal report confirming that condition.

“Criteria are not made up arbitrarily; they are agreed annually with the FECAM according to the realities of each fiscal year,” the minister emphasized.

The Ministry reminds that these programs are one‑off plans with a maximum duration of one year and cannot be concatenated across several editions. Their goal is the social and labor insertion of varied profiles, not only those facing extreme economic problems but also individuals with other specific circumstances who do not find opportunities in the conventional job market. Once the period ends, the plans serve as a springboard for entry into training programs and ordinary employment.

Rupture of the Pact After Suspension of the Employment Plan

The audit announced by the SCE comes amid political turmoil in the Antigua City Council. This Tuesday, the Canarian Coalition announced its departure from the municipal government coalition led by Matías Peña (ALxAN), citing “repeated displays of institutional disloyalty.”

In recent weeks, public disagreements had emerged within the local executive, which also included the Canarian Coalition. The Employment and Local Development area had been directed by councilor Victoria Cerdeña (Canarian Coalition) until her resignation.

• On 2 February, the City Council reported hiring 22 unemployed persons under the Social Employment Plan 2025‑2026, with a total investment of €360,877.96:
  • €277,336.95 funded by a grant from the Canary Employment Service (SCE)
  • €83,541.00 contributed by the municipality

In that communication, the mayor and the responsible councilor highlighted that the hired individuals were incorporated into the municipal staff “with the same rights and obligations” and that the scoring was performed according to the established social and professional criteria.

A subsequent official communication sent by the City Council to the SCE on 14 February announced the temporary suspension of the selection and hiring procedure for the 2025/2026 Employment Program after detecting “irregularities” in the criteria applied by the SCE, according to the Council’s own statement.