Javier Gisbert, director of the Gestaser company from Alcoy, has been in charge of the Alicante State Federation of Public Works and Utilities (FOPA) since December last year, but has already been with the organization for 16 years. He holds different positions on the board of directors. The problems of the industry change over time, but there is one that does not change, such as the state not investing in the state. At a time when the deficiencies in the infrastructure are very evident, the argument of how it could have been otherwise continues on the table.
Is there an explanation for why the state is in the queue for investments every year?
I don’t know, maybe we should have held more grudges, but the truth is that the complaints were always on our side and we’ve had no results so far. The fact is that we were again last year in investment by the state compared to the population ratio, an even bloodier fact considering Alicante is the province with the most visitors. tourism, so there is a floating population that is not taken into account. And this, unfortunately, has always been the case. There have been only exceptions where large investments have been undertaken on a one-off basis, for example the construction of the airport or any improvements that may have been made to the same facilities. It is clear that priority should be given to the evacuated Spain, but they could not have systematically placed us in the lower ranks, because the lack of investment in public works strains the province’s competitiveness.
They also complain about the low level of implementation of budgetary funds…
That’s something else, because if we go to the Valencia Community general data, we see that in recent years only 64% of what was budgeted has been achieved, while what we are talking about construction has dropped to 35%. . Therefore, we are faced with an endemic problem because at least 60% of the announced studies need to be done.
CEV, Oda, İneca and you have decided to join forces to demand the execution of projects that you consider strategic. Do you think the requests will be successful this time?
They say unity is strength and in this case we decided to act together and make an effort to make the ministry see that there is a serious infrastructure gap in the province and that this gap needs to be filled with the greatest possible agility. What we want is justice.
What are the basic needs?
They were included in a study by the CEV and the Chamber of Commerce two years ago, and the truth is that practically no progress has been made. The Elche-Alicante rail axis is absolutely necessary, as the airport cannot be directly connected to the train. The line between Alcoy and Xàtiva should also be improved once and for all, and the coastal train between Valencia and Alicante should be completed, as it is vital for tourism. Then, of course, there are the Mediterranean Corridor and the dry ports where San Isidro, Novelda and Villena operate, all three of which must be run because of the volume of goods they will be processing. In terms of roads, the third lane for the A-70 motorway between Alicante and Elche and the A-31 motorway between Elda and Monforte del Cid is important, as is the expansion of the Orihuela-Torrevieja motorway and bypassing the motorway. last municipality. In short, we are talking about investments worth an estimated 3,000 million Euros, which are absolutely necessary for the province to gain competitiveness.
Construction is also facing another problem such as lack of workers, what are the reasons?
This is a general problem because according to industry estimates, 250,000 workers are needed at the national level, while the provincial deficit remains at 10,000. The reasons are varied, but one of the most important is the crisis of 2008, which meant that many people working in our industry passed on to others after losing their jobs and did not return. It is also obvious that people no longer want to work in construction, and proof of this is that if there were 345,000 members under the age of 25 in 2007, there are now only 53,000. I’ve also seen it firsthand from my role as a Civil Engineering professor at the University of Alicante, given that initially 180 students were enrolled in the first course and finally the average was barely 50.
Unions say it’s due to working conditions…
I disagree, because our employees earn much more than other industries. We’re talking about 30% to 40% of the minimum interprofessional salary. In reality construction has evolved a lot, and now that everything has become much more mechanical, people think it’s hard work. We also see that the female presence is definitely in the minority. They hold management positions, among others, but again, it’s not directly related trades that are much more bearable now.
What are the consequences of this lack of manpower?
As companies, we are de facto taking away our employees, and the situation could worsen with the arrival of European funds and the Edificant plan to renew educational infrastructures that are at risk as a result of this problem.
What solutions would you suggest in this regard?
From the very beginning, a pedagogical task is imposed for people to consider construction as an attractive profession. It would also be very interesting to promote degrees that are about six months shorter than those available in specialty areas such as foundation masonry or partitioning so they can join the business as soon as possible because what is needed are people who know the trade. . And if that doesn’t work, we will have to import labor from abroad with an offer available at the Labora offices. Companies have this option if they can’t find workers here.
Does inflation affect the sector as well?
Raw material costs have skyrocketed by over 30%, leading to the cancellation of many tenders as different administrations do not publish up-to-date prices. The solution is a reform of the Public Sector Contracts Law, which allows companies to submit higher bids or make price revisions. It is essential to take precautions in this regard, because the impact on the companies in the sector is terrible.