200 local police officers protest outside Cort for better working conditions: "The mayor is a liar"
"We have a roadmap in place and we will implement the plan," the new councilor for Public Service and Citizen Security assured.
Around 200 local police officers from Palma demonstrated this Thursday in front of the City Hall during the plenary session to send a clear message to the mayor, Jaime Martínez: to implement the force's reorganization plan. The protest, organized by the unions CSIF, SPPME, CCOO, and UGT, began at the Sant Ferran barracks and proceeded to the Plaza de Cort, with banners reading "Reorganization Plan Now!", "The Plan Only Makes the Headlines," and "Mayor, Liar!"
Union representatives have used the protest to criticize the recent changes in the municipal structure: Deputy Mayor Llorenç Bauzá has taken over the areas of Citizen Security and Public Service, replacing Mercedes Celeste and Miquel Busquets., until now responsible for these matters. According to Agustí Sánchez, CSIF delegate, these decisions "have been purely political" and do not provide concrete solutions to the needs of the force.
Bauzà: "We will disburse the plan"
The newly appointed Councilor for Citizen Security and Public Service, the department responsible for negotiating the plan, went down to speak with the unions, at which point the whistling and shouts of protest intensified. Bauzá offered an "open hand" and expressed his hope for "good understanding." "We have a clear roadmap and we will disburse the funds for the plan," said Bauzá, who also thanked Mercedes Celeste and Miquel Busquets for their work.
Chema Hidalgo, a representative of the CCOO union, expressed his doubts as to whether these appointments are part of a "PP strategy" to delay or improve negotiations with the unions. Meanwhile, Óscar Rojas, president of the SPPME union branch, emphasized that the reorganization plan "would improve the capacity to respond to the needs of the population" and pointed out that, despite Palma's significant changes, the organization of the force remains "as it was 15 years ago."
The unions announced they will continue their protests until the reorganization plan is implemented and measures are adopted to modernize the force and guarantee an effective response to the city's needs. Thursday's protest thus combines denouncing municipal appointments with demanding structural improvements, sending a direct message to Palma's governing team about the urgency of action.