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

[Myrtle Hogan-Lance]

Signed the petition.  They also have a FB page, which I hope this link goes to. 

If not, go to THE 'SOS Socorristas ARONA' page which you can like.

[El Profesor]

I think the problem here is that Arona council are spending all their (our) money on lawyers to defend themselves against numerous corruption charges that are slowly plodding through the courts.

.............. The council, for its part, says that the problem is that the lifeguards are employed, and must be paid, by a private company contracted by the municipality, and that this company is in financial difficulties.........

And indeed I heard a slimy geezer on the radio saying that the council can't pay them ..... obviously ...... because they aren't council employees.

However this article HERe says - that today a judge in the court in Santa Cruz has ordered for the THIRD time that Arona own up to how much they owe this company AND PAY UP. The judge (unable to find out even how much is owed) is now threatening the council with contempt of court.

The company hired by the council has folded and has no money.
One of these lifeguards was sacked and won an unfair dismissal case in July and was reinstated. In her case all the money owed to her that was stipulated in that judgement (10,000€) must be paid by the Arona Council because the other company is insolvent and because it was subcontracted.

[Janet]

and somehow it seems that the Ayto's claim that it "doesn't owe the contractor money" is technically correct because for some reason no invoices have been submitted for payment for some time .....

[El Profesor]

and somehow it seems that the Ayto's claim that it "doesn't owe the contractor money" is technically correct because for some reason no invoices have been submitted for payment for some time .....

All predictably fishy ... yes

[Guanche]

Fishy no. Predictable yes

[NAH]

Signed.

[Janet]

just posted the following on my website:

Arona Ayuntamiento has said that it would be "illegal" to pay the outstanding salaries to the lifeguards because there is no contract between them and the council. The local authority apologised to residents and beach users for any inconvenience caused by the dispute, and said that Arona has always been noted for the excellence of its services, confirmed by the numerous distinctions bestowed on its beaches.

The council claimed that it understood the lifeguards' motives but could not agree with the way in which they were protesting, and stressed that since the award of the contract to a new business was in process, it was hoped that the situation would get back to normal as quickly as possible. Fine words, so perhaps the Ayuntamiento will now yield to the Courts' third demand, on pain of being found in contempt of Court, for it to release information on how much it owes the contractor who did employ the lifguards, and to make good the payments owing. That, surely, won't be illegal. JA

[Nova]

And I'm sure the "new company", if it exists, will be more than willing to pay the 6 months back-pay owed to the workers... 

[Myrtle Hogan-Lance]

And apparently the Ayuntamiento is sending the cops to harrass the strikers.  These people must have turds for hearts.

[El Profesor]

And apparently the Ayuntamiento is sending the cops to harrass the strikers.  These people must have turds for hearts.

Those would be the same cops that confiscate buskers' instruments.