Thursday 6 October 2011

Los Barrios fires administrative assistant who was paid €73,021 p/a but didn't turn up for work for three years

LOS BARRIOS (Europa Sur) Los Barrios Council recently fired  María de los Ángeles Galán Pulido, wife of the former municipal company Iniciativas Los Barrios, Juan Sandubete. Her gross annual salary was €73,021.07 for her job as an administrative assistant (a single step up from the typing pool). She was hired and paid by GAMA (Gestión Agropecuaria y Medioambiental de Los Alcornocales), which in turn was managed by Iniciativas Los Barrios, which contracted staff. Sandubetes therefore had the power to hire and fire, and to establish pay. The Councillor for Personnel, Teresa Doñate, said that there was an accumulation of irregularities regarding Galán, who had been assigned extras such as productivity and functionality bonuses. On top of that, she began getting the trienio monthly bonus for each three-year period worked with the same employer) from the very beginning of her contract in 2006; that is, an extra €200 per month. However, there was/is a more serious irregularity:>>>

According to Councillor Doñate, there is no trace of Galán having passed through the municipal offices until May 2009, when she signed a document requesting 'activity' (presumably to be given something to do). That happens to be when. The date coincides with the advent of Ángeles Ariza as Mayor, substituting for Alonso Rojas (both PSOE). Galán was posted to the Personnel and Training department of the Town Hall.

Galán's husband, Juan Sandubete ceased working for the Council in November 2009 by order of Ariza. His gross annual salary was €107,032 per year - more than the Prime Minister was being paid His wife, Galán was being paid twice what the present Mayor, Jorge Romero, gets: €39,000.

This is in contrast with the salaries of the former cleaners of the Los Barrios schools, who were also contracted by GAMA, and who yesterday began an 'occupation' of the Town Hall because they have not received the pay - averaging some €600 per month - they were due when they were made redundant six months ago.

Apparently Galán is also owed six months, though Doñate says that the municipal legal services have "adjusted to the salarial reality and subtratcted the monies received as bonuses" paid 'irregularly'. According to her husband, who would not speak further on the subject, says that Galán is appealing the rescinding of her contract.

Meanwhile, the unpaid GAMA workers, many of whom are the only family breadwinners, are staging a sit-in at the Town Hall, where they intend to eat and sleep until the matter is resolved.

EDITORIAL COMMENT: How many more such cases are there in the Campo de Gibraltar? Or in Spain, for that matter? Is it any wonder the country is bankrupt? Let's hope these people get thrown into jail where they belong - except the country can't afford to build the number of jails it would need ...


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