Amparo Mañez Martínez, president of the Valencian Council of Social Graduates: “We are a guarantee of security”

___Social Graduate from the University of Valencia and a degree in Marketing and Commercial Management from the ESEM School of Marketing Studies in Valencia, Amparo is a founding partner of the Mañez Marín Consultancy in the Castellón town of Altura. Since 2018, he has presided over the College of Social Graduates of Castellón and since July 2023, the Valencian Council of Social Graduates.

A little over a year ago you were named Representative Woman of Altura, the town where you founded the office where you work. Do you consider yourself a prophet in your land?

Well, the truth is that yes, I have been working in my hometown for 33 years and developing my professional activity. I feel very comfortable with my neighbors, I believe that people should integrate into their environment and participate a lot in the associative fabric.

The presidency of the Valencian College of Social Graduates and the College of Castellón entails multiple institutional and management obligations, which are added to those of the exercise as a social graduate. Which of them gives you the most satisfaction?  

Well, currently representing our professional group at the regional level is assuming meeting colleagues from the three provinces that make up the Valencian Community, and the truth is that it is being very rewarding.

In your professional career you have been able to experience first-hand the evolution of work and the role of the labor advisor, what would you say is the most important change that has occurred in this time: the digitalization of Administration, the incorporation of social networks, the emergence of Artificial Intelligence…? How have professional offices adapted to these changes?

The digitization of the Administration of course. It has meant a great change in work habits, in our daily work and in our daily relationships with administrations. It should be noted that from now on many changes await us with Artificial Intelligence, but we social graduates tend to reinvent ourselves.

___A constant aspiration of social graduates is to break the historical "invisibilization" of the group before society. Another is to strengthen dialogue with public administrations to be taken into account when approving new regulations. What difficulties do you encounter in overcoming both challenges? 

All political changes involve delays in relations with administrations. You must start again to explain our aspirations and of course we always demand that our daily experience and opinion be taken into account. We currently work in various working commissions with ministries, such as Justice, and we are verifying that our contributions are being very positive, they are having an impact, to build a justice more appropriate to our situation. era.

___Recently the College has signed a collaboration agreement with the National Association of Labor Workers ASNALA for the dissemination of labor law. What importance do you attribute to institutional relationships and communication to achieve your objectives?

___Since I was appointed president of the College of Social Graduates of Castellón, I have dedicated myself body and soul to promoting the name of our group in society, throughout the province. We are members of the Human Resources Club of Castellón, members of the INVASSAT commission, we are part of the CEV, the Professional Union, in the academic field with the Universitat Jaume I of Castellón, we have colleagues in the Arbitration Court, we have promoted relations with the media and we are active participants in numerous events held in the province.

___Currently, inclusion and diversity are topics of great relevance in the world of work. How can social graduates contribute to fostering more inclusive and diverse work environments? Are there projects or initiatives in this sense in which you are involved?

For six years we have made the commitment to promote the corporate social responsibility of the School, through a social campaign called “SOLIDARI@S GRADUATES”. Every year the colleagues themselves present projects promoted by different organizations and through a vote they choose the one they collaborate with through a donation. Afanias, Multiple Sclerosis, Yucanyole, Ilewasi, the Association of Autistic Parents... have been some of these organizations.

I would also like to comment that through our participation in collective bargaining negotiation tables we can change and improve the working conditions of many workforces in the different sectors.

___Professional intrusion appears on the list of problems that affect the group.Why is it, and what are the solutions you propose?

___Professional intrusion is a problem for the profession and of course for citizens. Professional associations are a guarantee of security. We ensure that specialized work is carried out by true professionals. Just as no one would like a person who is not a doctor to treat them in a health emergency, exactly the same thing happens in our profession. Would you let a person who is not qualified to prepare a Disability or Dismissal claim for you, make it?

The group promoted the new law on professional associations and the Valencian Cortes were the first to unanimously support the modification so that the Administration itself could sanction intrusion. We are currently lobbying so that the law can be applied.

___Taking into account the importance of continuous training in such a diverse professional career, what initiatives are being taken at the College to ensure that professionals are up-to-date in a constantly changing work environment?

___Training is our fundamental pillar, which is why the School is committed to quality training. We are looking for the best speakers to give sessions for social graduates. The pandemic forced us to change our habits and the way we conduct training. The School took a step forward, opting for communication and information technologies (ICT) and currently most of the sessions are carried out online, thus we also avoid the travel of colleagues in person to the School and we encourage someone, far from an urban environment, to receive our specialized training.

___The mutual societies that collaborate with Social Security play an important role in the day-to-day of your professional practice by managing more and more benefits of the system, which affect directly to the workers of your client companies. How is your relationship with them? Is there any particular aspect you would like to highlight?

The relationship with mutual insurance companies has also been changing over the years. Many times due to the impositions of the DGSS, but that has not prevented us from continuing to have a very close relationship, since the management of our offices is closely related to the mutual.