Mª Isabel González Benítez, president of the CGS of Huelva: “The future will tend towards specialization”
María Isabel González Benítez___HTMLTAG16_ __en social graduate from the University of Granada. With extensive complementary training in Social Security, Labor Law and Occupational Risk Prevention, he has received numerous distinctions and recognitions in the performance of his work. From 2015 to the present, she has served as president of the College of Social Graduates of Huelva. In this interview we will delve into his professional career, his direct relationship with the College's activity and we will analyze the changing current situation and how it affects the profession.
What prompted you to be a social graduate?
Actually I never had in mind to be a social graduate, I wanted to be a lawyer, but an acquaintance of my father who had an office informed me about this profession, and from that moment on I was clear that I wanted to enroll in the degree. You could say that it was an induced vocation, which I am deeply happy about.
What advice would you give to those entrepreneurs who want to launch their own business? Tell us what you remember about the beginning of your business adventure
The truth is that I didn't have a very difficult time. When I graduated I started working in a recently created office where they counted on me to handle the work area.
For those who are just starting out? Now they have it very difficult, they demand a lot of work from us, you have to have a lot of vocation because work in the office is very stressful, but whoever likes it is at the same time very rewarding.
We have to fight with clients, with administrations and with mutual insurance companies, although the truth is that mutual insurance companies make our work easier. But as I said, in the current situation you have to have a lot of vocation, especially when starting a business.
How does the College help or accompany the social graduate who has just graduated? What are the job opportunities in your profession?
As a registered profession, we have the requirement of registration to be able to practice. From that moment on, the College is at the side of new professionals, starting with training. In addition, at the College we are working to expand fields of work to offer to all members. In fact, we are also already doing mediation, referral from the Courts, also through collaboration agreements. Another line is that of collaborators with Traffic, many members are already dedicated to this, especially in towns in the province. And of course the usual activity: labor management of companies, workers, courts, immigration, etc.
How would you describe the role of the social graduate today? How do legislative changes affect your daily life?
If we haven't died trying, no one will finish us off (laughs). Since I graduated 34 years ago, a lot of things have happened, of course, but I wonder how I was able to get here and especially in the last three years: from 2020 to now there have been a large number of changes in legislation and new laws for which we are constantly adapting, and which every day complicate our task more and require greater resources. Furthermore, everything is on the fly, and you have no choice but to adapt from one day to the next.
We are super-prepared professionals, we are constantly studying and updating ourselves with courses on processes and new regulations.
The Treasury, for example, is constantly changing: contribution bases for self-employed workers, income, etc.And that is the reality, there is no other.
How do you see the future of the profession, and what do you think will be the key themes that will mark your work in the coming years?
I firmly believe that the pace we currently have in the offices will not be able to be maintained, nor will it be possible to maintain the way that colleagues of my generation have been working. And future generations will not be able to carry it, as they will have to specialize in something specific. The range is so large that there comes a time when it cannot be covered. If everything continues to evolve like this it could collapse, so I believe that the future development of law firms will tend towards specialization in specific areas.
What do you consider to be the most important achievement that the profession has had? What is your priority and greatest desire?
As an achievement, recognition, and that we are considered fundamental actors in labor matters and as another legal operator for all purposes. We were like the poor brother of social jurisdiction, and fortunately that is no longer the case.
In short, the recognition and dignity of the figure of the social graduate, something that must be valued by the students of the faculty from the beginning.
As examples, some formal and others fundamental: use of the toga in court, appeals,... with the cassation appeal there we continue to face opposition from other groups, but we continue in the fight.
What has the collaboration of the social graduates with the different levels of the Public Administration, and specifically with the Mutual Collaborators with Social Security, consisted of?
We have always collaborated with the different levels. We were a profession dependent on the Ministry of Labor, in fact our qualifications depended on them. Over time he moved to Education. Therefore, the main body is Social Security. In terms of collaboration, always available for what we have been asked for: network system pilot, siltra, …
They have used us for everything and we would like them to take more into account our opinions and points of view, as well as recognition and help when we have needed it in the critical moments we have gone through. Above all, that they facilitate our work, and at least, do not close doors on us.
We handle 90% of small and medium-sized businesses, and we request the help that we always provide when they require us. We cannot stop, it would be a collapse of the system: registrations, cancellations, social security,... And we demand better, and above all, more direct communication.
What labor reform do you think would be necessary?
Above all, those who do it are competent people, with their feet on the ground, and live reality. What we have now... a discontinuous fixed contract with a trial period that has not been passed is a temporary one, whatever they call it. I know that many regulatory changes come from European harmonization, but at street level this has not been favorable at all.
What would you ask the Mutual Fund so that you can improve the service you provide to your clients and members?
The truth is that I have no problems with the mutual insurance companies, which are also being complicated and cut back by the administrations. I recognize that they do a great job. My wish is that we continue working side by side as we have until now. Recognition is mutual and our collaboration is fundamental.
