Crisis in the New Youth Reintegration Service: Massive Bonus Losses Blamed on Leadership Inefficiency

Original article: Crisis en el nuevo Servicio de Reinserción Juvenil: Denuncian masiva pérdida de bonos por «ineficiencia» de jefaturas.

The National Federation of SENAME Workers (FENATRASE) has issued a statement condemning the loss of PMG (Management Improvement Programs) targets, leading to a significant reduction in quarterly bonuses for workers at the National Youth Reintegration Service (SNRSJ).

It is important to note that this reduction does not affect the Metropolitan Region, Rancagua, and Valparaíso, as they have recently entered the service, making their bonuses contingent on SENAME’s performance. 

In simple terms, PMG targets are performance indicators set annually by law between the Service and the Ministry of Finance. Successfully meeting these targets allows for the delivery of a quarterly bonus that is a significant part of the employees’ income. In this instance, the SNRSJ did not meet the required standards, resulting in the automatic loss of this financial incentive for the workers.

The federation stated that the responsibility for these losses lies with the departments and units overseeing these targets, their direct supervisors, and the national management, which has ultimate responsibility for the service. They believe that those responsible should resign due to inefficiency and the financial impact on workers’ pockets. 

Additionally, the organization called on other unions not to ignore the situation or downplay the responsibilities. For the federation, the facts are evident, and other unions must act in defense of their members.

In an interview with El Ciudadano, the president of the Metropolitan Regional Association of SENAME Workers (ARMETRASE), Gonzalo Marín, emphasized that the economic damage is «inexcusable.» According to him, the chaos is a result of poor management by both outgoing authorities and those who assumed leadership of the new service since January.

Marín highlighted that, as it is an annual cycle, this crisis could have been avoided: «Part of that responsibility lies in having anticipated this situation and acted diligently and promptly to rectify and avoid the disastrous current consequences,» he stated.

Moreover, Marín warned that two months after its launch, the new Youth Reintegration Service is being criticized for repeating the shortcomings of the former SENAME. The lack of clear instructions and negligence from the National Directorate has left technical teams operating in ambiguity, hindering the promise of a more effective and humane juvenile justice system.

“Furthermore, we have always pointed out that the working conditions for teams where tutors, monitors, workshop leaders, case managers, and clinical interveners work are precarious, facing many challenges to fulfill their daily tasks. Thus, we argue that this political and management responsibility, which directly impacts the reduction of salaries for staff in the north and south, is also a manifestation of a crisis within an institutional model that has previously failed and is now being replicated,” Marín added.

Additionally, Marín cautioned that this situation is not an isolated incident but rather the result of public management captured by political interests. According to him, the revolving door of trust positions every four years has shifted the institution’s technical mission, prioritizing partisan agendas over social reintegration and protecting the rights of young offenders.

“We never forget that the violence and harm suffered by victims of crimes committed by youth are closely related to the social conditions experienced in the various areas from which they come. This is ultimately an expression of the most brutal inequality and the result of systematic state abandonment occurring with the catastrophic implementation of an institution with such a critical role in social reintegration. It is urgent for the state to make a solid commitment to developing this task, which should be a priority in public policy at the national level,” he stated. 

In that context, both ARMETRASE and the National Federation denounce a «lack of ability» among current leadership to manage a service with such critical public safety challenges. Therefore, the leader was blunt in his stance: the continuation of the current executives and department heads is “unacceptable” in light of the magnitude of the administrative failure.

Finally, the leader declared: “Our solidarity goes out to the fellow workers of the youth social reintegration service in the northern and southern regions. The possibility of building a new labor reality lies in the unity and honest representation of this service’s staff interests.”