Mayor to meet with banking sector in Xàbia to address customer care concerns
Compromís has also presented a motion after a 600,000 signature petition was delivered to the regional government demanding an improvement in elderly customer care.
Queue at a bank in the port of Xàbia, image taken a few days ago mid-morning.
Thursday 17th February 2022 – Mike Smith
Translated from an original article by Carlos López on Xàbia AL DÍA
Mayor José Chulvi is to meet with the banking sector in Xàbia tomorrow (Friday) in order to address care for the elderly, a meeting that coincides with a motion presented by Compromís that precisely requests an improvement of that attention.
Compromís has reacted after more than 600,000 signatures were collected by Valencian senior citizen Carlos San Juan and delivered last week to the Regional Ministry of Economy. The petition demanded an improvement of care for the elderly by the banking sector and the Valencian coalition party announced in a statement that it would present a motion supporting the demand.
The Compromís Motion
The motion calls for banks to offer counter service during the hours that they are open to the public (which is currently limited to one or two hours a day), that they don’t charge for offering this service (commissions could be charged for using the ATMs and not using the cashier service), amongst other demands.
Juan Cardona, representative from Compromís in Xàbia, explained that they are committed to not only public banking but also a private banking system that is ethical, fair and works for the customer, adding that his party doesn’t the “inhumane treatment” of the general public, but especially the elderly.
Councillor Vicent Colomer added that the treatment of older people by the banking sector “is very unfair” and continues to make life difficult for many workers, business people, etc. when dealing with them. It is for this reason that he hopes that his party receives the support of all sides because “we believe that it is a just and necessary claim”.
The mayor’s concern and the meeting
Just hours after the Compromís statement announcing the motion was published, the mayor’s office notified that the mayor José Chulvi would be holding a meeting with the banking sector in the town this Friday, a meeting that it claims to have been trying to organize for several weeks in order to encourage the best representation from the banks.
The statement from the mayor’s office claims that the mayor intends to convey the growing concerns about the reduction in face-to-face care that has been experienced in recent months and wants to understand first-hand of the perspectives at the local level in this process and the plans of the different banks to improve customer care without the technological obstacles to customers who need it. He also wants to test the willingness to offer training in basic user services through local senior citizen associations.
