A Passage A Day

ลำดับตอนที่ #35 : Spaniard pulls six-year sickie

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Spanish civil servant's six-year absence from work not noticed

12 Feb

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35557725

A Spanish civil servant has been fined €27,000 (£21,000; $30,000) after not going to work for "at least" six years.

Joaquin Garcia's absence was only noticed when he became eligible to collect a long-service award.

The 69-year-old, whose job was to supervise the building of a waste water treatment plant, has since retired.

He denied the allegations and said he was a victim of bullying. A court found in the authority's favour and ordered him to pay the fine.

Mr Garcia was paid €37,000 a year before tax by a water company run by local authorities in the south-western city of Cadiz. His fine was equivalent to one year's salary after tax and was the most that the company could legally reclaim.

The court heard that the boss of the water company had not seen him for years despite occupying an office opposite his.

Reading philosophy

The water company thought he was supervised by the local authorities and vice versa.

The deputy mayor noticed his absence when Mr Garcia became due to receive a plaque for 20 years' service.

Mr Garcia says he was bullied due to his family's politics, and was sent to the water company to be out of the way.

People close to him told Spanish newspaper El Mundo that he was reluctant to report it as he had a family to provide for, and worried that at his age he would not get another job.

They said he did go to the office, although not for full business hours every day, and that he dedicated himself to reading philosophy.

Civil (adj.)

not ​military or ​religious, or ​relating to the ​ordinary ​people of a ​country:

 ​polite and ​formal:

Eligible (adj.)

having the ​necessary ​qualities or ​satisfying the ​necessary ​conditions:

An eligible ​person is not ​married and is ​thought to be a ​suitable ​future ​marriage ​partner, ​especially because they are ​rich and ​attractive:

Allegation (n.)

a ​statement, made without giving ​proof, that someone has done something ​wrong or ​illegal:

Reclaim (v.)

to take back something that was yours:

vice versa (adv.)

used to say that what you have just said is also ​true in the ​opposite ​order:

deputy (n.)

a ​person who is given the ​power to do something ​instead of another ​person, or the ​person whose ​rank is ​immediatelybelow that of the ​leader of an ​organization: