Spanish workers in Gibraltar plan to sue over tobacco measures

Queues at the frontier
(Photo: gbc.gi)

SPAIN / GIBRALTAR The organization that covers Spanish workers on the Rock, Asociación Sociocultural de Trabajadores Españoles en Gibraltar (Ascteg), is getting legal advice to sue against the measures that came into effect on January 1 whereby residents living within 15 kilometres in a straight line from the Frontier are allowed to bring through only 80 cigarettes -4 packets- per month. The president of Ascteg, Salvador Molina, told us that his association believes the measure to be 'discriminatory', particularly against La Línea, 'a town that is already suffering under the crisis', and against frontier workers, who are mentioned specifically in the law's text. Among other things, the law says that the tobacco now allowed through 'is more than satisfactory for possible usage." For its part, the Guardia Civil at the border as well as the Customs officers there are finding it especially difficult to explain the new laws to people crossing into Spain.