Things took an ugly turn in Motril, with only 15 days before the summer beach season officially finishes, the all-volunteer, Protección Civil decided that they had had enough and left their posts.
Although as volunteers, whose task it has been to provide a safety service for beach users, amongst other things, they receive no salary, they do – or should – receive expenses, so that it doesn’t actually cost them money to turn up for work.
The problem is that the Motril Town Hall hasn’t paid them their expenses since last summer, so with beach use winding down but with a fortnight still to go, they went on strike.
The reaction of the Town Hall was to accuse them of being irresponsible for leaving the beaches unattended and of lacking solidarity and comprehension in times of crisis. Also, within 24 hours they had signed a deal with Cruz Roja for what is left of the season to provide life-savers, etc, etc.
It is worth noting that Protección Civil, who have always done an excellent job, not only patrolling the beaches but providing assistance at mass public gatherings such as concerts or providing back up for police and ambulance crew at the scenes of accidents, are present in all the coastal towns, doing this worthy service. They give up their free time to help others and only ask to have their travel costs covered.
So, on Saturday the 1st of September they put up notices on their beach-post doors on Playa Granada and Playa Poniente saying, “Closed Because of Outstanding Debt Non-Payment.”
Now, bearing in mind that these people in some cases risk their lives and give up their spare time, asking no payment in exchange, does the Mayor, Luisa García Chamorro – who receives a salary as Mayor as well as one for a provincial political post, plus expenses – have the moral right to berate these volunteers for demanding that their expenses, which are whole year behind, be paid?
Are the Mayor’s salaries a year in arrears? Has she not received her expense allowance for the last twelve months? And if the answer is “yes” to any of these questions, does she have the right to criticise the Protección Civil volunteers?
the Seaside Gazette September 3, 2012
