Council chiefs in Calp are fed up with staff pulling sickies — and now they’re bringing in security guards to spy on civil servants.
With absenteeism running at a hefty 10% among nearly 500 workers, Mayor Ana Sala has had enough. She’s ordered a two-year surveillance contract to keep tabs on public employees who say they’re too ill to work. Anyone genuinely sick has nothing to fear, she insists — but those swinging the lead could soon get an unexpected knock on the door.
“We can’t afford this level of sick leave,” fumed the mayor, pointing to reports that show Calp’s figures are way above the public sector average. “Some absences are real — but others clearly aren’t. This has to stop.”
The row over “skiver spies” is already raging across Spain. Just weeks ago, Fuengirola council caused uproar after spending €18,000 on private detectives to shadow staff suspected of faking illness. Unions blasted the move as treating workers like criminals, but town halls argue taxpayers are footing the bill for every bogus sick day.
Now Calp is following suit — and locals are asking: will it be gumshoe detectives, uniformed guards, or both watching over council workers? One thing’s certain: pulling a sickie in Calp is about to get a whole lot harder.
