Torremolinos garden centre, a place where those with disabilities can blossom
More than 70 per cent of the workforce at the nursery, now the Los Pinares special employment centre, have some kind of physical or mental disability
Lorena Cádiz
Torremolinos
Monday, 31 July 2023, 16:09
The staff at the garden centre in Torremolinos are currently nurturing around 10,000 poinsettias, the traditional red-leafed potted plants that decorate homes, shops, streets and plazas during the Christmas period. Approximately half of these seasonal plants will be purchased by the town hall to brighten up the town during the festive season.
Many of the nursery workers, like Mati, Adri, Rocío and Bibi, have some type of disability. In 2022, the Torremolinos municipal nursery became Los Pinares special employment centre, the first of its kind in the province of Malaga that is municipally owned. At that time, just four people worked at the centre, but now, the workforce consists of 37 people, of whom more than 70 per cent have disabilities.
“Here I have found a family," explained Mati, who pointed out that even though she does not need to work at weekends, “I like to come and be here for a while.”
Luciano Alonso, the manager of the centre, said that all workers receive a salary that is around the minimum wage, depending on the number of weekly hours they have worked.
“This is not a day centre; it is a job. Among the workers there are people with a high physical disability, in some cases after suffering serious illnesses or even after years of working very hard, while others have mental disabilities, like autism,” Alonso explained.
Of the 37 staff, seven are administrative and support staff, such as psychologists, and 30 are people with disabilities, of whom ten are permanent staff. The rest have been selected to take part in a one-year gardening course, which will offer the possibility of future employment.
“When they finish their training, many will have the possibility of earning a living for themselves, because they will be able to find work. This is not only for an economic salary, but it also provides an emotional salary. For some, having a job helps them feel useful and gain independence; for others it is simply their means to earn a living, like any of us,” he explained.
