30 Nov, 2006 @ 05:16
1 min read

Trouble at the Alhambra

DISGRUNTLED staff from the Alhambra have mobilised against alleged harassment from el Patronato, the company in charge of the management of the 14th century palace, and the lack of communication between the two parties.

Workers have been protesting under a banner reading “For the Dignity of the Staff of the Alhambra” and are supported by trade unions who claim the harassment suffered by the staff has reached unacceptable levels.

Tensions stem from the widespread ticket fraud that is currently under investigation in Granada. Trade union CCOO say the staff are “on the side of justice” in the investigations but insist they cannot be seen as complicit in any wrongdoing as the ticket sales have already been privatised.

As inquiries continue, the management appears to be coming down somewhat heavy handed on Alhambra staff. A report in newspaper Ideal states disciplinary proceedings have been opened against 47 of the 220 staff.

CCOO officials claim staff are even being disciplined due to the fact they have complied with new rules imposed by el Patronato. More rigid guidelines demand workers are more thorough when guarding the entrances to the palace. This has led to tensions between tourists and the Alhambra staff as they try to sniff out those trying to breech Alhambra rules.

The CCOO is also campaigning against the proposed expansion of the privatisation of the Alhambra services, as has already happened with the security and ticket sales. They aim to continue with their protests every Tuesday between 10am and 12 noon in front of the Alhambra.

According to a trade union spokesperson, the general discontent has grown amongst staff due to a “permanent lack of dialogue” with the management. The president of the company’s committee, Elías Berbel, stated there is a “climate of terror” between the workers and the management of Spain’s most visited monument.

Meanwhile, designated computer points allowing people to vote for the Alhambra as one of the “New 7 Wonders of the World” have been displaying pornographic websites instead. Families eager to support the Alhambra’s campaign to be included as a modern wonder have been subjected instead to graphic sexual images on the monument’s monitors. An investigation is said to be taking place.

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Jon Clarke (Publisher & Editor)

Jon Clarke is a Londoner who worked at the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday as an investigative journalist before moving to Spain in 2003 where he helped set up the Olive Press.

After studying Geography at Manchester University he fell in love with Spain during a two-year stint teaching English in Madrid.

On returning to London, he studied journalism and landed his first job at the weekly Informer newspaper in Teddington, covering hundreds of stories in areas including Hounslow, Richmond and Harrow.

This led on to work at the Sunday Telegraph, Sunday Mirror, Standard and even the Sun, before he landed his first full time job at the Daily Mail.

After a year on the Newsdesk he worked as a Showbiz correspondent covering mostly music, including the rise of the Spice Girls, the rivalry between Oasis and Blur and interviewed many famous musicians such as Joe Strummer and Ray Manzarak, as well as Peter Gabriel and Bjorn from Abba on his own private island.

After a year as the News Editor at the UK’s largest-selling magazine Now, he returned to work as an investigative journalist in Features at the Mail on Sunday.

As well as tracking down Jimi Hendrix’ sole living heir in Sweden, while there he also helped lead the initial investigation into Prince Andrew’s seedy links to Jeffrey Epstein during three trips to America.

He had dozens of exclusive stories, while his travel writing took him to Jamaica, Brazil and Belarus.

He is the author of three books; Costa Killer, Dining Secrets of Andalucia and My Search for Madeleine.

Contact jon@theolivepress.es

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