News April 16th

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“Strike Called
On Friday a spokesman for the Medical Union announced 13 days of strike action in Ibiza and Formentera, beginning on 22nd April. The decision was taken after a joint meeting in Palma between both the Medical Unions in the Balearics. In total there will be 29 days of action across the four islands, although each island has its own individual calendar.
The first walkout will begin on 22nd April and last for three consecutive days. This will affect all of the islands, with Ibiza and Formentera taking further action on Monday 28th April, and then every single Tuesday during the entire months of May and June. Mallorca will be affected each Wednesday during these two months, while it will be Menorca’s turn every Thursday. There will be a minimum service available, but this will likely cover the emergencies arising on those days and thousands of appointments look likely to be cancelled.
During the three days of strike action which took place in March a total of 38 operations, 1,303 consultancies with a specialist, and over 3,000 GP appointments were cancelled.
The chief stumbling block seems to be the basic wage paid to doctors, the hourly rate of those on-call, the insular incentive paid for working in both Ibiza and Menorca, (it is already received by doctors in Formentera), and a reduction in the amount of medical cards per doctor. At the moment there is a ratio of around 2,000 patients per GP and 1,400 per paediatrician. They are demanding these numbers are brought down to 1,500 and 900 respectively, without any loss in salary.
The president of the Medical Union, Nacho Hernandez, had said earlier in the week that an agreement between the Local Health Authority, Ib-Salut, and his members was further away than ever. However, he then went on to confirm that a strike was also several weeks away and the correct legal procedures had to be completed before any action could be considered.
However, in a vote on Thursday, medical staff decided overwhelmingly to support a strike if no agreement could be reached in the next few days. They agreed a permanent walkout would be far too disruptive to the general public, and so they eventually decided on the series of one-day strikes.
The news came several days after a number of specialists had made an official complaint about the amount of patients they were currently attending on a daily basis, claiming it had gone up from 30 to 50, due to the strikes carried out in March. Members of staff have slowly been working their way through the delayed consultations; however only with the help of several extra hours every day.
Those with an appointment on any of the strike days will theoretically be unable to change their consultation until after the date, an absurd situation which is likely to cause anger amongst those affected.
And while one strike was announced, another came to an end, as the civil servants from the justice department returned to work on Tuesday, to be met by a mountain of paperwork, which had been slowly accumulating. After an initial vote to continue with the action, which eventually lasted a total of nine weeks, a seven-hour meeting over the weekend ended with an agreement being reached. Initial estimates are that it will take around five months to clear the back-log, with workers putting in extra hours during the afternoons.

AROUND THE ISLAND

Job Losses
The slowdown in the construction industry will have far reaching effects. according to the president of the association in Ibiza. Commenting at the beginning of last week, Joan Roig said there would be job losses of between 1,500-2,000 people over the next six months. He added that the squeeze was already starting to take effect and it was now even more difficult to find casual work within the industry.
A boom in the building trade over the last ten years has ensured construction has cemented its place as the second most important industry behind tourism. It currently employs around 11,000 people on the island, a figure which is set to decline very soon.
He said many constructors had decided to stop their present projects and wait for the situation to pick up. Others, he added, would finish the jobs they were currently on before migrating to the mainland. He admitted a number of building promoters and companies who had come to the island to take advantage of the recent upturn would “up sticks and leave”, adding that the slow-down was taking its effect in Mallorca and would soon hit hard here.
Roig explained he was convinced there were still lots of buyers out there, but a recent spate of repossessions and a rising interest rate had made the banks much more cautious, and it was now far harder to obtain a mortgage. This, he predicted, would continue for some time, as banks continue to reign in their previous liberal borrowing policies.
Experts did not anticipate an immediate fall in property prices, but said they could not rule it out over the next few months.
The comments by Roig were followed by a report from the Chamber of Architects the following day which showed a fall in new construction projects of 78 per cent during the first three months of the year, in comparison to the same period last year. Alarmingly, this was the highest level recorded in the Balearics with the number of projects in Mallorca falling 50.1 per cent and Menorca 65.8 per cent.
Meanwhile, the president of the Chamber of Quantity Surveyors, Vicent Joan Serra, claimed the industry had not quite reached crisis point, and the decreases were merely a result of a suspected correction after years of strong growth.

Rental Crackdown
The Tax Department announced on Monday it would work hand-in-hand with the Department of Tourism at the Govern Balear in an attempt to stamp out the rental of unlicensed accommodation. The maths is undeniable. Every year there is an increase in the number of tourists arriving in the Balearics, whilst hotel occupation has either maintained its levels or fallen slightly. The minister for tourism, Francesc Buils, claimed it was clear the amount of unlicensed accommodation was having an adverse affect on the industry, and it was now time to act.
The Hotel Federation has long since called for action to be taken against the unregulated competition they feel is having an adverse effect on tourism.
Buils´ department, with the help of Treasury officials, are set to carry out rigorous inspections over the summer. They will trawl the internet searching for unlicensed properties being offered at knock-down prices, whilst controlling the many agencies who currently act as middlemen. In Ibiza alone the Consell Insular announced they would be carrying out around 2,000 inspections across the island, in order to search out the increasing number of properties rented illegally over the internet or via a third party.
The exact number of properties is not known and varies very much according to the source. However, a Chamber of Commerce study in 2003 estimated the unlicensed sector amounted to around 20 million nights a year across the country.
However, the task is not going to be easy, with many tourists now arriving on the island with the keys to their rental property in their hand. On the island the Consell has already begun a campaign warning property owners and agents of the likely consequences of renting unlicensed properties, and they seem intent on cracking down once and for all.

House Prices
Amid fears that the Balearics will soon be affected by a fall in house prices, a report carried out on behalf of the Govern Balear revealed Ibiza and Formentera were amongst the most expensive areas to purchase newly built properties. The review by the consultancy firm, Tinsa, revealed the three most expensive boroughs for new builds within the Balearics are Formentera, San Jose and Ibiza Town.
The report, undertaken during the last three months of 2007, revealed the price per square metre in Formentera, which occupies first position, was €4,377. This was followed by San Jose at €4,286 per m2. These were the only two boroughs to break the €4,000 barrier, and put them well above Ibiza Town which registered an average price of €3,676. Santa Eulalia finished in sixth place with a price of €3,218, followed by San Antonio in ninth at €3,096. The Balearic average was €3,134.
The difference in second-hand property was significant with the average price across the islands at €2,623 per m2. The highest borough on the list from the island was Ibiza Town (€3,060) which finished fourth, some way behind Andraitx (€4,068) and Sant Lluis (€3,497). Santa Eulalia (€3,032) came in fifth place, with San Jose (€2,785) back in eighth.
In reference to apartment sizes, Santa Eulalia (106m2) registered the highest average, followed by Ibiza Town (103m2), San Jose (87m2), Formentera (87m2) and finally San Antonio (78m2).

Easy Money
The Consumer Association in Ibiza and Formentera has presented an official complaint to the CNWV, the commission in charge of ensuring a free and transparent market throughout Spain, about the latest fraudulent scams to hit the island. It also warned people to beware about the “pyramid” schemes which had become so popular over the last twelve months.
The practice is commonplace on the mainland and first began commercially on the island last year. The scams, which have been around for at least a century, are banned in several countries across the world including the United States, the UK, France, Canada and Australia.
Although the plan can be presented in many different forms, the crux is simple. As its name indicates, the pyramid scheme is structured like a pyramid. It starts with one person - the initial recruiter - who is on top, at the apex of the pyramid. This person recruits a second person, who is required to "invest" a certain amount into the scheme. At present there are several on the island ranging from €50 to €5,000. In order to make their money back, new members must recruit more people under them, each of whom will also have to invest the same amount. As the money starts to accrue, so the people at the top of the pyramid slowly start to take their money and leave the system, so pushing those at the bottom further up the pyramid. It sounds easy, but in reality will mean huge losses for those joining the scheme late.
Quite simply the problem is that the scheme cannot go on forever, because there are a finite number of people who can join (even if all the people in the world join). The tricksters play on the greed of the public, who are deceived into believing that by giving money they will make “a killing” (with an investment of just €1,000, you will receive €8,000 in return). However no wealth has been created; no product has been sold; no investment has been made; and no service has been provided.
The fraud lies in the fact that it is impossible for the cycle to sustain itself, so it is a stonewall certainty people will lose their money somewhere down the line. Those who are most vulnerable are those at the bottom of the pyramid, where it becomes impossible to recruit the number of people required to pay off the previous layer of recruiters. It is estimated that 90% of people who get involved in a pyramid scheme will lose their money.

Operating Threat
The chief anaesthetist on the island, Jesus Preciado, has made an official complaint about the current state of operating facilities in Can Misses. The current four operating rooms are to be closed this week whilst new air-conditioning units are installed. The work will take around three months, during which time the surgeons will be forced to move to the two new theatres which have just been finished. However, Preciado has revealed, after gaining access to the new facilities, that they are too small for those operations which require a third medical assistant. He continues by claiming many upcoming operations may have to be delayed.
The original proposal involved closing the operating rooms two-by-two, but a technical issue has meant all have been closed. Under the circumstances the suggestion was made, in a meeting last month, to rent two operating rooms in the private Rosario clinic. However, the Health Authority Ib-Salut, has so far remained tight-lipped on the issue.
Preciado said he was opposed to cancelling any more operations, and hoped a solution could be found soon.

Plans Delayed
The Consell confirmed last week they were hoping to begin the three major road constructions planned for their legislation by the end of this year. The projects include the widening of the San Juan and Santa Eulalia roads (close to Ca na Negreta), as well as the construction of the Jesus by-pass. The plans are all included in the road network agreement which was given the go-ahead as part of the general Balearic pact. However, while both the Mallorca and Menorca deals were signed back in September 2007, the Consell decided not to sign so they could firstly separate the projects involving Formentera. They also wanted to re-negotiate the deal made by the former administration, claiming it was flawed. They say that with some minor changes the plans could be much improved and more cost effective. The original deal was signed to the tune of €63 million.

More Money on Roads
The Govern is to spend an additional €12 million in improvement work on the new roads, it was announced last week. Just under half will be spent on improving security inside the two tunnels on the airport road, to at least bring them up to the minimum requirements as stated in the Royal Decree 635/2006. Improvements to lighting in the tunnels at Can Sifre and Ca na Palleva will cost €2.1 million. A further €2 million will be spent on the building of a control base from which both tunnels can be observed. The deficiencies in both were highlighted recently during a simulation undertaken several weeks ago which involved all of the emergency services.
This extra amount spent on the roads will push the total up to an incredible €78 million.

Cannabis Usage
The health minister, Vicent Thomas, said on Thursday he would consider making cannabis available on prescription within the Balearics if the benefits were proven. He added he had always felt his department should make any substance available to doctors, which could be proved beneficial in the treatment of patients and their symptoms.
A synthetic version of the active ingredient in marijuana is already being used in a number of countries, as a legal treatment for nausea in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. It also helps symptoms like pain, anxiety and depression, according to recent research. Studies are also currently on-going in the United Kingdom to find out if the drug can help relieve some symptoms of multiple sclerosis.

IBIZA TOWN

Ibiza Plans Still Unapproved
The Land Use Plan for Ibiza Town which has been waiting for approval for over two years will remain unauthorised for at least another four months, according to sources at the Consell Insular. The plan was begun by the previous administration under the watchful eye of former mayor, Xico Tarres. The plan initially caused great controversy and was not endorsed by the Consell. However, with Tarres now in power it is hoped the plan can be approved in 2008.
The plan re-classifies a great deal of land, turning some from rustico into urbano. Controversially in the case of ses Feixes the opposite is true, and the wetlands at the entrance to the capital are being re-classified as rustico, which will ensure no building is allowed.
Minister Miquel Ramon explained there were certain changes which needed to take place before the plan could be given the OK. Certain details needed to be amended, after which the plan would have to be put on public display before eventually being authorised. He estimated it would take a minimum of four months, but said he was confident it could be done during 2008.
The councillor in charge of the project, Vicent Torres, said the plans were close to being approved and he was only waiting for final confirmation of the exact piece of land which would need to be put aside for the new hospital. They were also awaiting the green light from Civil Aviation to ensure the plans did not contradict the noise zone map, which prohibits the building of anything within the flight path.

Damages for Mis-treatment
A doctor based in Ibiza Town has agreed to settle out of court after accepting responsibility for burns caused to a patient having laser hair removal treatment. The victim began legal proceedings after the doctor admitted he was to blame for the burns to her legs and groin area. In her denuncia she claims he acknowledged using a programme far too intense for her fair skin.
He assured her the burns would soon go away and not leave a scar. He then prescribed a cream to sooth the damaged area, which turned out to be past its sell by date. The victim eventually started legal action after still suffering severe discomfort several months later. After an initial hearing the doctor decided to settle out of court, offering the injured party €4,500, which was accepted.
The following day the private clinic, Policlinica Nuestra Senora del Rosario, in the centre of Ibiza was forced to pay damages of €42,000 to the family of an 82 year old woman who died after being misdiagnosed by medical staff. The deceased was first taken to the clinic suffering from severe abdominal pains. The necessary tests were not carried out, and the patient was told to go home and rest. However, her condition did not improve and she was taken to Can Misses two days later. doctors there diagnosed a severe infection of the abdomen and a perforation of the viscera. She immediately underwent emergency surgery, but died 14 days later due to the seriousness of the infection.

SAN ANTONIO

Bodies on the Move
The Town Hall of San Antonio has agreed to exhume a total of 78 bodies from the cemetery, because the relevant municipal tax has not been paid on any of the burial niches. A list of the names of those who are to be “moved” is available at the Town Hall, and has also been listed on the official gazette of the Islands (BOIB). Those families who wish to dispute the decision will be able to do so during the next month, after which time the bodies will be exhumed, tagged and stored for at least one year.

SAN JOSE

Flat Owners Complain
The Councillor for Planning in San Jose, Josep Antoni Prats, has ruled out the possibility of allowing the owners of the sa Caixota apartments to rebuild their properties anywhere else in the borough. One of the buildings in the project was destroyed after falling into the sea below, after heavy rain in September 2005 caused a huge mud slide. Prats’ department has since classified the area as unsafe to build, and offered the owners a different piece of land close by.
However, the lawyer representing the owners claims the piece of land being offered is not of the same value as the old one, and will mean the apartments will have an inferior value. All of the previous apartments had full sea views, something which is not possible from the new site. Their lawyer, Josep Lluis Rios, said he could not understand why they were not being offered a piece of land closer to the coast in another part of the borough, especially considering the size.

SANTA EULALIA

Purifier Planned for 2009
The Environment Minister at the Govern Balear, Miquel Angel Grimalt, admitted last week the building of a new water purifier in Santa Eulalia had been put on hold because the needs in Playa den Bossa were far greater. He claimed the installation in Santa Eulalia could carry on working for the next year or so without any problem, which was not the case in Playa den Bossa. However, he promised the new purifier would be built as soon as they had the necessary budget, possibly this year but more likely in 2009.
He continued by revealing his department would be spending a total of €23 million on the various purifiers across the island, almost half the budget spent in the Balearics. He said he understood the frustration of some politicians (referring to Santa Eulalia mayor, Vicent Mari) but that the island in general could not complain about the investment being made this year.
The purifiers in Playa den Bossa, San Antonio and Ibiza Town will all be improved, whilst a new one will be built in Cala Tarida to cope with the ever-growing population in the area. €3 million alone will be spent on the purifier in Ibiza Town, to fix ongoing problems until the new one is finished.
Grimalt confirmed he was in contact with the mayors of both Ibiza Town and Santa Eulalie, and had been offered three possibilities for the location of the Ibiza Town water purifier, although he did not specify any.

FORMENTERA

Illustrious Visitors
Monday saw the arrival of 35 former students from Harvard University to the island aboard the Greek-registered vessel, Callista. The ex-alumni of America´s oldest and most prestigious University had paid between €5,700 and €7,000 each for the luxury 12-day educational cruise around the Mediterranean studying Phoenician, Arabic, Greek and Roman culture and ruins. The trip began in Carthage, with Formentera the next port of call. From here it is on to eight other cities including Palma, Mao, Sicily, Porto and Marseille. In Formentera, aided by local experts, the alumni will be visiting the principal points of interest on the island which will include an amble through the streets of the town as well as a visit to the 18th Century fortified church of Sant Francesc and the La Mola lighthouse – the possible inspiration for Jules Vernes’ epic “Lighthouse at the End of the World”. The island was chosen for its legendary rustic beauty and unspoilt charm.
The trip is part of a number organised by former students of the University, who have provided 40 Nobel Prize winners and seven US presidents.

Ship Ahoy!
Balearia, the ferry company which links the Balearics with the mainland, is to introduce a new vessel to their fleet which is to link Formentera with Ibiza and Denia. The new fast ferry, which is currently being built in the north-eastern town of Barreras de Vigo, will link the two islands in just 30 minutes, and make the journey from Formentera-Denia in just three hours. It is hoped it can be ready for the start of the 2009 tourist season, and it is planned the route will be run all year round. The President of the Consell in Formentera, Jaume Ferrer, was delighted at the news, and said it was a huge step forward for the island, which has had pitiful connections with the mainland until now.
The boat which has yet to be given a name (the Consell are due to decide) will cost a total of €44 million to build and be able to transport 800 people, half of whom can be accommodated in state of the art cabins. It will be a total of 100 metres in length and be able to carry vehicles, although the exact number is not yet known.

CRIME & INCIDENTS

Motorcyclist Dies
The 20 year old motorcyclist who was rushed to hospital after colliding with a vehicle on the Santa Eulalia-Ibiza road has died in hospital. As reported in the paper two weeks ago, the victim was hit by a Renault Clio as he joined the road from the entrance/exit to the go-karting track. Although he was wearing his helmet, he suffered severe head injuries and was rushed to hospital where he had remained in a coma ever since. He becomes the 6th victim on the roads of Ibiza and Formentera.

BP Thief Arrested
A 44 year old man was arrested in the centre of Ibiza Town on Tuesday morning accused of the robbery at the BP station at the entrance to the capital. The attack took place on 4th April in broad daylight, and although there were few witnesses, police were able to study CCTV footage of the attack, and collect the thief’s fingerprints from the door. They soon identified the man, a known criminal who has been arrested a total of eleven times, the last five for violent robberies. He was sent to prison whilst a trial date was set, and could face up to three years in jail.

Car Crash
Two people were injured, one seriously, when the BMW 320 they were travelling in veered off the road and hit a pine tree close to Cala Llonga. The incident took place on Thursday at just after 1p.m. about 100 metres from the crossing with Cami Vell. Emergency services were called to the scene, including fire crews, who were needed to help free the driver, the more seriously injured of the two occupants. Both were rushed to hospital where they remained over the weekend.

Driver Recovering
A man required hospital treatment after crashing his Mitsubishi 4x4 into a tree on Tuesday. The accident happened on the Puig den Valls road in Santa Eulalia. For reasons which are still not clear, at around 11.30a.m. the man veered off the road and collided with an almond tree and a wall. The fire service had to be called to free the injured man from the vehicle. However, initial hospital reports confirmed he was recovering well and it was not as serious as at first thought.

By modern day standards Ibiza is an extremely safe place to holiday. This is a weeks worth of news and so its effect is magnified. Please do not fret while you are here – you are quite safe!!

If you have any stories for our incidents section then call or fax 971-348-271 or e-mail on: editor@theibizasun.com

NEWS FROM THE MAINLAND

Zapatero Sworn In
The PSOE leader, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, was formally sworn in on Saturday for his second term as prime minister. In a speech the previous day Zapatero promised economic measures to try and ease the current crisis and avert a full-on recession. He also promised less conflict and more openness with his political rivals. The bitterness and constant bickering between Zapatero and opposition leader, Mariano Rajoy, over the last two years had caused many voters to stay away from the previous elections.
At a ceremony on Saturday, before King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia at Madrid's Zarzuela Palace, Zapatero took his oath of office with his hand on an open copy of Spain's constitution.
The other of his main tasks will be to ease the tension in the Basque region and try to come up with a solution in the area. However, both of these are unenviable tasks, with the Spanish economy, once the envy of Europe, seemingly in free fall.
Later, Zapatero named the pregnant Carme Chacon as Spain's first female defence minister, moving her from the Housing Ministry, whilst installing Miguel Sebastian, his former chief economic adviser, as industry minister.
Women outnumber men for the first time in a Spanish cabinet -- nine to eight – with the youngest member, Bibiana Aido, becoming Spain's first Equality Minister at 31 years old.

Archaeological Finds
A police operation which began back in October 2007, ended last week with the arrest of 20 people, one of those in Ibiza. Those arrested have been accused of plundering archaeological sights, and selling the various items found to local collectors and on internet auction sites. Details of the exact locations affected have yet to be released, and it is not yet known if Ibiza is included. However, police did reveal some of the affected areas included archaeological digs at Calpe on the eastern Mediterranean coast, and Municipium Augusta Bilbilis near Calatayud in central Spain, where the Romans built a colonial city on an earlier settlement.
There were nine arrests made in the Andalusian town of Cordoba, although other arrests were carried out in Jaen, Valencia, Castellon and Zaragoza. In total 24 addresses were searched, with police needing three trucks to take away the loot found at one property.
The detention at a property in the centre of Ibiza was that of an ex-police sergeant who had previously worked at the island’s airport. His arrest was made even more intriguing due to the vast arsenal of firearms which were located at his apartment. In total, 72 firearms were found at the premises including Z40 and Z70 semi-automatic rifles.
In the other properties raided, over 12,000 historical coins of various denominations were found and over 10,000 archaeologically important pieces, from the Roman and Stone Age, including metal axes and Roman swords. Several metal detectors and excavating equipment were also located.

FINANCIAL NEWS

Pound in Free Fall
British tourists coming on holiday this summer will have far less money to spend as the pound reached an all-time low against the euro on Wednesday, as the Bank of England further cut UK interest rates the following day. The fall over the last six months has been spectacular culminating in the pound being worth as little as 1.2500 euros in early Wednesday trading. While the pound hit new lows, conversely the European single currency touched as high as 80 pence.
Interest rate cuts generally encourage investors to switch to other currencies that have a higher rate of return. The net effect is tourists travelling to the islands this summer are sure to feel the pinch, when digging a little deeper into their pockets.

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By modern day standards Ibiza is an extremely safe place to holiday.  This is a weeks worth of news and so its effect is magnified.  Please do not fret while you are here - you are quite safe!!

If you have any stories for our incidents section then call or fax 971-348-271 or e-mail on: editor@theibizasun.com

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