Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Opening another can of worms

Last week the socialists in Bigastro accused the new council of discrimination whilst making back salary payments to its employees. It seems that council workers are owed wages dating back to March amounting to 344,000 Euros. According to the PP/UNPLC coalition, each worker has now been paid 1,200 Euros except for the previous mayor who is owed two months and 11 days extra salary and Inmaculada Martínez who has apparently re-joined her official position.

In response, the coalition now accuse the socialists of paying social security for a list of between 9 and 15 people who were not employed by the council in exchange for votes at the election; they say that this was standard practice during the period when José Joaquín Moya was mayor. Payment of their social security would entitle these people to unemployment benefits and a pension.

Moreover, the coalition say that three council workers had their hours extended and a further three were given permanent contracts by the former mayor, Raúl Valerio Medina during the period between the 6th and 9th of June i.e. between the elections and the formation of the new council.

In his response, the former mayor says that the extension of the workers hours was to honour an agreement made by José Joaquín Moya in 2008 when three employers had their hours cut to 70% to minimise spending on payroll. The agreement was that these hours would be increased by 10% in each subsequent year back up to 100%. Of the three who were given permanent contracts, Medina says that they worked on a more or less full time basis at the pre-school Bigastrin anyway. Medina adds that he knew nothing of the list of people who had social security payments made for them.

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