Torrevieja council gardener wanted to work from home

The majority of Torrevieja City Council employees have adopted the teleworking scheme for two days each week. Over the last two years, the Human Resources department has validated scores of requests. However, it has had to reject some. It is obvious that a maintenance and security professional will have difficulty working remotely.

Even in these instances, local officials persevered. This is what happened with an appeal for reconsideration of the municipal rejection filed by a Torrevieja green team member attached to the Parks and Gardens Department. This employee’s first request was declined “because his position is not adaptable to this modality.”

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The appeal was likewise dismissed. The labourers on this crew are in charge of doing maintenance tasks such as masonry, carpentry, pruning, and gardening. They have occasionally undertaken additional responsibilities, but never administrative work in front of a computer, as do the majority of municipal employees.

Parks, gardens, and… Treasury

According to the municipal decision, the appellant’s department is responsible for the maintenance and surveillance of public green areas, as well as other public works and services-related activities. The petitioner’s primary point is startling and compelling: he currently works in the Treasury department. Neither the petitioner nor the City Council, which recognises this temporary assignment, explain how the green team employee performs his tasks in the Treasury department, where the majority of his colleagues have already joined the teleworking program.

Personnel who primarily interact with the public have likewise had such requests denied.

Regulation

The Torrevieja City Council established its own teleworking legislation in the end of 2023. It, like many other municipalities in Spain, formalised and ordered the experience that various administrations were compelled to face in order to carry on with their everyday duties despite COVID constraints. It also accelerated the guarantee of a type of labour that the administration—and businesses—had long sought.

Among other restrictions on the exercise of the right to telework, it is stated that it is always a voluntary, reversible, authorised, and compatible mixed modality with in-person work, limited to two days per week, and can be done remotely via telematics. It is also specified that the day preceding or after a teleworking day can only be in-person, a weekend, or a holiday. That is, discontinuous in the weekly distribution. Although the statutes state that requests should not accumulate on Fridays and Mondays, Torrevieja City Council reports that no workers seek teleworking on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which could be the case. And nearly none of them skip Mondays or Fridays.

The regulation creates a series of restrictions and, depending on the department, requires that these staff be able to assist the administrator or residents over the phone, as is the case in the Urban Planning department. Other officials are harder to reach while working remotely.

Audit of Aid

Employees of the Torrevieja City Council benefit from one of the province’s most secure local government agreements. It is particularly valued for its social, healthcare, and educational services, which benefit not only employees but also their partners and children. Furthermore, it covers the majority of the expense of training applications.

In recent years, the municipality has become more stringent in reviewing requests for benefits, including subsidies for dental CT scans, allergy medication, glasses, and contact lenses. Some are outside of the scope of the agreement, while others are overly repeated over time.

Author: Derek Appleton