Monday 26 December 2011

Municipal Secretaries, Auditors and Treasurers 'under great pressure'

Union protest, Los Barrios
CÁDIZ Province/ LOS BARRIOS The Municipal Town Clerks, Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers of the province are under very great pressure, according to their Official College. They even use the word acoso, or harassment. This, they say, is from a good number of municipalities in the province, not only from the governing councillors but also from members of the opposition and even from some unions. (Remember that there have been some very deep changes in the politics of almost all the municipalities of Cádiz, as well as in the provincial authority, Diputación). The latest case - but certainly not the only one - comes from Los Barrios, where>>>
the General Secretary in the Town Hall, who has not been paid for four months, like the rest of the municipal employees, received a note from the union representing some of the employees demanding that she not issue a report that validated a proposal by the Council, which is part of her job to do. "We will not consent any kind of pressure on any General Secretary in any municipality," says the College. "We will take court action against anybody intending to manipulate the rectitude or integrity of the Secretary, who is subject exclusively to applying the law." The College says that there are innumerable such cases throughout the province, much of it caused by the local elections (and the need to show a 'positive image', we say) and the financial crisis (for the same reason?). Only last year (2010) in Jimena, the Secretary left because she was submitted to so much pressure - but poor Cristina Barrera ended up working for another area municipality where the pressures may be even greater.

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