The Federation of Citizen Services of CCOO of Córdoba has denounced “the poor economic and personnel management being carried out” by the manager of the Municipal Institute of Environmental Management (Imgema), which includes the Royal Botanical Garden of Córdoba, Ricardo Martín de Almagro and Giménez de los Galanes, “which is leading the institution to ruin and abandonment, incomprehensibly, with support from the Córdoba City Council.”
In a statement, he points out that “since his arrival at Imgema in January 2020, this manager has caused uncertainty and chaos in the municipal institute, by not having either short- or long-term work objectives for an institution that has been a reference at a national and international level,” says the Secretary General of the aforementioned federation, Juan Manuel Mena.
In fact, according to Mena, “it has been unable to manage the Imgema budget, leaving 50% of the 2023 budget unexecuted and failing to invest close to 1.5 million euros, despite the deficiencies in infrastructure suffered by the institution, and that has been denounced on repeated occasions by the works council.” Among these deficiencies it is worth mentioning the obsolete irrigation system of the plant collections, the existence of deteriorated roads, paths and floorboards for the visitor’s route and with the risk of falls, fire hydrants without signs and that are damaged, greenhouses that collapse, a assembly hall without audiovisual means, outdated museums, the lack of Wi-Fi connection for the visitor, nor adequate signage, deteriorated toilets for the visitor, or the lack of services such as a cafeteria, etc.
“This neglect is reflected in a significant decrease in visitors, an aspect that should seriously worry the president of Imgema and Delegate of Tourism, Sustainability and Environment dthe City Council of Córdoba, Daniel García Ibarrola,” points out the union official for whom “the manager’s continuous improvisation is manifested in the request he made in extremis to the technical staff in May, asking for ideas and spending budgets to execute in a hurry and running before the possible loss of the budget if it is not executed before December 2024.”
“Nor does he respond to the Imgema Governing Council when the councilors of the PSOE and Hacemos-Córdoba ask him about the execution of the investment budget, promising investments that never arrive, and the reason is none other than that he has not planned them,” says Juan Manuel. Mena who gives as an example that for more than a year the City of Boys and Girls has been waiting for the fiber optic connection to be able to carry out box office and group reservation activities, and they are still waiting.”
Added to all this is that personnel management “is non-existent and not very transparent. The works council, for example, asked for explanations almost a year ago from the Presidency of Imgema regarding the personal appointment of a coordinator of the Educational Area, a position that did not exist in the organizational chart and which was not advertised in the BOP for the free participation of applicants. . Nor was the Governing Council informed of this appointment, nor was it supported by a report from the secretary, and although explanations were requested from the councilors of the PSOE and Hacemos Córdoba, there was no response from the Management either,” criticizes the Secretary General of the Federation of Citizen Services of CCOO of Córdoba.
For CCOO, there is a lack of transparency and authoritarianism that is also reflected in the little effort, not to say in the lack of negotiation, of the bases of positions of labor personnel to be incorporated by internal promotion to Imgema. What’s more, it presented for approval to the Governing Council totally different bases from those “negotiated” with the works council.
Faced with this situation, and after four years waiting for the manager to do quality work with a vision for the future at Imgema, which continues to suffer “toxic management, without commitment to the institution and without a roadmap, CCOO warns the president of the Immema-Jardín Botánico that, if urgent measures are not taken, the situation will be irreversible and will be their responsibility,” Mena adds.
