Dilip Kuner
FUENGIROLA Town Hall is hiring private detectives to spy on council workers off sick – in a bid to tackle what it calls ‘sky-high’ absenteeism.
The council wants contract proposals worth around €18,000 a year to hire snoopers who will tail staff claiming sick leave, keeping tabs on them at home and anywhere else they might go.
They want to catch anyone doing physical work or driving – anything that proves they’re not really ‘off’.
Town hall bosses insist the move is totally legal and necessary because absenteeism in some departments hits around 10%. They say it’s not the only step being taken, with health checks and other measures also underway.
The council stresses sick staff still get full pay – but they want to stop any potential abuse of public funds. Previous detective contracts have been signed before, so this isn’t a first for the local authority.
The spying includes digging into social media and other personal info to build a full picture — all to make sure workers aren’t secretly working elsewhere or doing anything that clashes with their supposed illness.
Fuengirola says it’s cracking down hard to make sure taxpayer money isn’t wasted and to keep public services running smoothly.
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