The Platform of People Affected by the Selection Process for the Guardianship and Support Service for Adults of the Balearic Foundation for Dependency (FBD) publicly denounced on Tuesday the alleged existence of serious irregularities in the competitive examination called to fill staff positions corresponding to public offers 2 of 2 and 2. According to a statement released by the group, the selection process – published in the Official Gazette of the Balearic Islands (BOIB) on March 6 – violates the principles of ability, merit, and legal certainty, with direct consequences for both the applicants and the functioning of a public service they consider essential. The Guardianship and Support Service, responsible for complying with court orders, is currently, according to the platform, under severe strain, with high staffing levels and a high degree of complexity. In this context, they denounce that the deficiencies in the selection process jeopardize the continuity and quality of care for service users.

A total of 736 people died up to September of this year in the Balearic Islands while waiting for a resolution on their level of dependency or the Individual Care Program (PIA), according to data from the State Observatory for Dependency prepared by the Association of Directors and Managers of Social Services.

The workers of the Dependency Foundation began their indefinite strike this Wednesday, with a follow-up rate of between 85 and 90%. Their first protest action was a rally outside the headquarters of the Department of Families, Social Welfare, and Care for Dependent People in Palma, which brought together around 100 protesters. According to Marina Martínez, the president of the inter-center committee of the Dependency Foundation, the follow-up rate on this first day of the strike reached between 85 and 90 percent of the 850 workers who work in a dozen centers and residences in Mallorca and Ibiza. Specifically, they are workers from the Son Llebre, Son Tugores, and Son Güells residences in Mallorca and Can Raspall, Can Blai, and Sa Serra in Ibiza. They also work from the Adult Care and Support Service and the Sa Riera Occupational Center. Those who are at their jobs to cover the decreed minimum services, she assured, also expressed their support for the demonstrations and their "firm will to support the strike."

Sandra Fernández (Palma, 1980) is the new regional government minister for Family, Social Welfare, and Care for Dependent People following the departure of Catalina Cirer. She cites her as a key figure and is grateful for giving her her first political opportunity in the Balearic Islands. Her portfolio is marked by the challenge of reducing waiting lists: 14,500 people are waiting for a disability assessment; 3,700 for a dependency assessment; and 2,500 for the Individual Care Program (PIA).