Report Working Conditions at INCIBE, the Company Investigating the Blackout

The Central Independent Trade Union and Civil Servants (CSIF) demands that working conditions be improved at the National Cybersecurity Institute of Spain (INCIBE). This is the public company responsible for investigating the causes of the power outage on April 28. Specifically, CSIF demands proper regulation of on-call duties, a salary improvement, and staff reinforcement.

The team responsible for managing cybersecurity incidents in private companies (INCIBE-CERT) has "insufficient and poorly paid" on-call duties. According to CSIF, it is an "irresponsible" situation. It recalls that the Government has assigned this public company to investigate the causes of the power outage on April 28.

The independent union, the majority in the works council, regrets that the working conditions of INCIBE workers "do not reflect the importance and critical role that this public and strategic company represents for Spain." The regulation of decent conditions is one of the keys to retaining talent. Therefore, CSIF doesn't understand that "the staff has been under terrible conditions for years, infinitely inferior to those of the private cybersecurity sector, one of the most competitive in the country."

Demands at INCIBE

INCIBE's works council has long been demanding the expansion and updating of the on-call duty regime for the entire staff. They report that it has not been increased for years. Meanwhile, the number of companies supported by INCIBE has increased, with a greater number of emergency situations.

Additionally, CSIF demands improved salary conditions to "promote talent retention" at the National Cybersecurity Institute. "If the Government doesn't make a serious effort to match the working conditions of INCIBE staff with those of the market and work on proposals that guarantee staff stability, it will be very difficult to successfully carry out its tasks and competencies," the union organization emphasizes. "Only with staff that has years of experience in the sector and in the organization itself can such complex challenges as those currently faced by INCIBE be addressed," it adds.

The large staff turnover that the company has experienced in the last three years doesn't help. The union states that this makes it even more difficult to face the serious global challenges that INCIBE must address to ensure the security of citizens and companies, as well as critical infrastructures.

Therefore, they highlight, "it is essential to hire more staff. Even more importantly, to improve the conditions of the staff that has been working for years. Each employee who, exhausted, chooses to leave represents the loss of important knowledge. In addition to the departure of highly valuable experience and information."

This public company of 170 workers based in León, dependent on the Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Function, attends to requests for cybersecurity assistance from companies in the entire private sector, as well as from citizens.