James BryceBy Wendy Williams
HUNDREDS of unpaid La Linea council workers have blocked access into Gibraltar using burning barricades in a protest over unpaid salaries.
During a week of protests, piles of rubber tyres were set alight to halt traffic heading in and out of the Rock.
It comes after the workers in the border town failed to get paid for three months running.
They are owed close to six million euros and insisted an emergency 125 euro payment per worker was ‘an insult’.
“We are desperate. We do not care what we have to do to collect what is due to us,” said Jose Porras Naranjo, who also asked for understanding from Gibraltarians.
“We want to apologise to the people of Gibraltar and to anyone who suffers delays crossing the border,” he said.
“It’s not our intention to cause difficulties for people who have nothing to do with this.
“But this is the only place where we can be sure that we will get people’s attention.”
Local unions are now calling for the intervention of the Junta in the running of La Linea’s public affairs.
La Linea’s council last week unanimously approved proposals by new PSOE mayor Gemma Araujo to seek a 3.7 million euro credit loan with immediate effect.
The money will be used to pay the workers some of what is owed as a short term solution.
…… La Linea council could always apply to a Gib bank for a loan – to finance a toll road into Gibraltar e.g.
BUT then you might give them good ideas and they open a toll booth leaving Gib and going to Spain, hmmmmmm and crossing the border to enter Gib should also be charged ….. come to think of it – might be real good biz to charge leaving Spain and then entering Gib and vice versa no ?
or La Linea should issue City Council Bonds, just like the Federal Gov.. I mean why not ? ten year bonds at 10% – maybe the ECB (European Chocho Bank) will bibabite
@ Din Erito
Taxing the labours of others might seem like a easy money making scheme but like all easy money schemes it’s seriously flawed. Perhaps you might like to think about how the politicians of La Linea could use the resources of La Linea and Spain to provide jobs for and improve the lives of spanish citizens without coveting your neighbours wealth?
Taxing a busy road used by people and businesses that passes near you is a seriously medieval idea.
Ciao Boulder – do you just use your names sakes for climbing or does irony ring a bell ……
Re: “……. using the resources of La Linea and Spain to provide jobs” now that is real comedy not just simple irony
The action of the Spanish goverment is motivated because the gibraltarians have put blocks of concret for to make imposible the activity of a hundred of spanish fishermen, that have been fishing in that waters, that are spanish since generations
The solution is not to lost the time playing with obsolete war ships , is to retire the blocks of concret
@Anselmo. Estás equivocado amigo. How many artificial reef’s have been created along the Spanish mediterranean coast in order to boost breeding efficiency??. And what about the Spaniards who illegally fish in internationally recognised British territorial waters??.
Like so many others, you have been hoodwinked (helped by the Spanish popular media) into thinking that this whole issue is over Gibraltar. The sole motive is to divert attention away from the P.P’s internal problems.
And as for the “warships”, read the report in detail. This training exercise in mediterranean waters is an annual event and planned months in advance. And ALWAYS includes a brief stopover in Gibralter.
Anselmo, you might have had a point if it was not for the fact that in 2006 Spain built an artificial reef in waters very nearby, specifically to prevent overfishing. There were no complaints from those fishermen then. That strikes me as just a little hypocritical… There are at least 25 artificial reefs in Andaluz waters and over 100 in Spain as a whole, most of the specifically built to prevent overfishing. The Spanish ones, by the way, were 70% financed by the Common Fisheries Fund, so paid for in a large part by British taxpayers. You guys have a lot of front to complain!
Amparo, Iestyn
Gibraltar haven´t not territorials surrounding the rock, only in the interior of the port.
Its a fact that Gibraltar increases his territory filling the surrounding waters. I think that the ground comunication between Gibraltar and Spain, opened since the 80’s, must be closed.
The solution is very easy: The retire the blocks of concret and dont increase the size of the Colony filling the surrounding waters the rock.
The intent of intimidation using war ships is an anchronism of the times of the Opium War. It is a irresponsability bad for the same UK, for Spain and it would very funy for the Western World enemies.
No, Anselmo, Gibraltar has the right to a territorial sea under UNCLOS, which Spain ratified.
By the way, Ceuta was ceded to Spain by Portugal in 1668. Only the city, no port was mentioned, so applying the same logic you apply to Gibraltar, Ceuta should have no territorial sea. Yet Spain claims territorial sea for Ceuta under UNCLOS rules. This just highlights Spain’s hypocricy when it comes to Gibraltar.
@Anselmo. It seems to me you have a chip on your shoulder (me parece que eres un resentido) and, before expressing inflammatory commentary in your postings you should furnish yourself with facts, both of a legal nature and those based on reality not on speculative hype.
Iestyn, Amparo:
thanks by your patience !
Sorry if my comentaries can seem inflamatories, I only try to express to my self with clarity.
Is a fact that Gibraltar has increased their territory filling the waters surrounding the rock and the isthmus, and that UK has occuppied the isthmus with no right. I´ll call it a invasion
Ceuta ocupatión is more than five centuries before now, but i´ll understand if the Moroccans would close the borders with Ceuta and Melilla if they think that we are bad neighbours, i will respect to that.
I don´t know nothing about UNCLOS, I´ll study it.
I think that UK, in Gibraltar border, is not a good neighbour and i think that the Utrech treaty must be applied, in the same way that before the 80´s.: Closing the border, by ground ,by air; telephone lines, power lines, etc.
With the maximun care for to respect to the colonials and avoid distress for them.
estyn:
I have read that Spain didn´t ratified UNCLOS in the concerning to the rock.
Please in this address:( https://theolivepress.es/spain-news/2011/02/22/hot-topic-gibraltar/), read the thirth comentary of guirizano.
Greetings