Marbella City Council Spokesperson Defends Overtime Pay Controversy
Felix Romero, the spokesperson for the governing team of Marbella City Council, has sidestepped the controversy over excessive overtime pay to municipal workers. He has not confirmed whether an investigation requested by the Anti-Fraud Office has been initiated and has justified this expenditure as the most economical option.
Government Team Shows Little Interest in Clarifying Overtime Pay Excesses
The governing team of the People’s Party (PP) does not seem overly interested in clarifying the excesses in overtime pay, which has caught the attention of the Andalusian Anti-Fraud Office to the point of requesting an investigation.
Spokesperson Provides Limited Explanation on Overtime Pay Issue
In a press conference following the Local Government Board meeting, Felix Romero was questioned about this issue and did not provide much explanation. He did not confirm whether the City Council has initiated the investigation requested by the Anti-Fraud Office to shed light on the excesses in overtime pay.
Justification for Overtime Pay
Romero justified the payment of these amounts and even stated that it is the most economical option for the municipal coffers. “This City Council is very large and has many needs,” he said, adding that “no one is forced to work overtime.”
Challenges Faced by Marbella Municipality
Romero highlighted the difficulties faced by a municipality like Marbella, where there are “population fluctuations, work avalanches, and lack of work.” “There are times when the needs are greater and we have to measure what is cheaper for the City Council, whether to hire staff or pay overtime,” he explained.
Overtime as a Cost-Effective Solution
For Felix Romero, these issues have led the government team to “make use of overtime” as the “lowest cost” formula for the population. Despite being asked, he avoided explaining how a municipal worker was able to charge 721 hours of overtime in April when, if they had worked all the hours of all the days, which is impossible, it would be 720.
Andalusian Anti-Fraud Office Calls for Internal Investigation
A few weeks ago, it was revealed that the Andalusian Anti-Fraud Office had asked the government team to open an internal investigation, to determine responsibilities in this regard, and even to take it to the Court of Auditors. The Anti-Fraud Office found that overtime “practically implies double the maximum legally established working day.” “It is a physical impossibility for a full-time worker to carry out another full day’s work in the same period of time,” the report states.
Related News
– Anti-Fraud calls for investigation into exaggerated overtime pay at Marbella City Council
– The PSOE asks the mayor of Marbella to clarify the excess of overtime.
