Fuengirola to hire private detectives to investigate municipal workers on sick leave
The contract, which will allow around ten employees selected by human resources to be monitored, will cost 15,609 euros
Fuengirola town hall's controversial contract to use detectives to monitor municipal employees on sick leave is now up and running. The council has awarded the service to Themis Investigaciones Privadas, the only company to bid for the contract. The company, based in the town of Nigüelas in Andalucía's Granada province, offered a price of 15,609 euros, which represents a reduction of more than 2,500 euros compared to the tender price (18,148.79 euros).
This amount, IVA sales tax included, is what it will cost the local administration of Fuengirola to monitor around ten workers who are "in a situation of temporary incapacity or with a report of aptitude with limitations", and who will be selected by human resources.
According to the contract, the company must carry out "preliminary research work on the person being monitored, consisting of corroborating the data provided by the council, as well as checking for the existence of other addresses, telephone numbers, workplaces and any incidents that may appear on official websites or social media, which could add value to the surveillance". This prior analysis must be included in the final report, and the company must state "in which ones it has been positive" and "in which ones, negative".
"Full" monitoring for three days
This prior investigative work will be supplemented by a "full" follow-up lasting a minimum of three days unless human resources deems it to be less or considers it to be insufficient and requests a longer investigation period.
The council first hired private detectives in 2005, and investigators 'spied' on a worker who ended up losing his job
According to the terms of the contract, monitoring must be “designed and directed” to “clearly demonstrate” that the worker is performing work activity or any other activity. “Facts that merely suggest this without a clear and direct link to the matters intended to be proven will not be sufficient.” And if “the aim is to demonstrate activities, bodily movements or other actions incompatible with the situation that gives rise to temporary incapacity or a limitation of their ability to perform their job,” the monitoring will be “the same.”
Fuengirola town hall, as SUR has previously revealed, hired private detectives for the first time in 2005. On that occasion, investigators proved that a municipal employee carried out other professional work while on sick leave, which resulted in him losing his job. Until now, the last time such a contract had been made was in 2020. On that occasion, no workers lost their jobs as a result of the private detectives' work.
