Public outrage and lifeguard despair over 6 months of unpaid wages in Arona

[Janet]

BlancaHari taking no prisoners on the matter ...



In summary:

Resumiendo, para que sepan por dónde van los tiros, digamos que examinando en su conjunto todos los servicios públicos, especialmente los que se desarrollan en dominio público (suelo de todos), si no están regidos por corrupción, lo parece bastante. En algún caso puede ser simple negligencia-ineptitud-incapacidad, pero de tal magnitud, que es fácil que conlleve responsabilidades legales (las éticas y morales ya sabemos que escasean entre políticos como los de Arona). Y en otros, ufff, ni negligencia ni leches. Toda la pinta de chanchullo. Luego habrá quien se sorprenda si saltan los sobres...

[Michael]

Google translate isn't great but I think I get the general drift. 

[Janet]

yeah ... in a nutshell, effectively, they're either crooks or incompetents, and although the benefit of the doubt might say incompetence, the sheer scale of it really leads one to the inevitable conclusion that they're crooks ...

[Janet]

Mayor flees ... gone on holiday, won't be around for the council meeting .....

[Guanche]

Mayor flees ... gone on holiday, won't be around for the council meeting .....

Coward or just arrogant? Hard to choose If I was forced to I would say arrogant!

[Janet]

As I posted above, the lifeguards, along with others, were invited to a mediation meeting with the Government this morning. Now, Arona's full council meetings are always held on a Thursday, and the lifeguards were planning a protest during this week's meeting. Lo and behold, according to activist website BlancaHari, the mayor has gone "on holiday", and the council meeting was shifted ..... to this morning at 8.30, the very time the lifeguards were to be in Santa Cruz. As evident in the above photo of this morning's council meeting, however, Arona's attempt to avoid a protest at their meeting failed badly: the photo shows lifeguards, journalists, radio and TV all attending. JA

[Janet]

In the mediation meeting convened by the DG de Trabajo, the company did not attend, hardly surprising since it has not been involved in the matter for a considerable time, but the council was represented ... by an Environment technician. In the chair, and mediating, were the Directora Grl.de Trabajo and the Jefe Grl. de Inspección. The Government representatives appeared surprised by the council's claim that their own legal advice was that they could do nothing to help the lifeguards, and gave the council five days to find a solution before the Government itself intervenes. JA

[Janet]

Not only the mediation meeting yesterday, but as I posted, the council meeting had been shifted to coincide with it to try to avoid the lifeguards' protest. It didn't work, as is now evident.

While the council has been given five days, in the council meeting itself, a new contract has been awarded to yet another business to run the lifeguard service. The would-be contractor, Rescatador, has a fortnight to decide if it is to accept the poisoned chalice. The Ayuntamient's decision was taken in the council meeting yesterday morning, which saw accusations flying back and forth between governing party and opposition, with the governing faction claiming the opposition was seeking to damage Arona's reputation, and the opposition claiming that the governing faction were corrupt. The governing faction's response, given by Environment councillor and effectively second-in-command in Arona, Antonio Sosa, was, in a nutshell "prove it". JA

[Janet]

The lifeguards have had a second meeting with the Dept of Employment, together with union representatives and Arona environment councillor, Antonio Sosa. The regional government has ruled that it will intervene in the dispute, and a solution has been proposed, namely that the Ayuntamiento should appoint a contractor without the new business assuming existing debts (i.e. the embargo of some €600,000) and for the Ayuntamiento itself to settle the seven months of outstanding wages plus social security contributions for the lifeguards. It should be clear by Monday how the Ayuntamiento reacts to this. JA

[Michael]

There'll be a few happy lifeguards when that hits their bank accounts.

About bloody time as well!