And he would have gotten away with it too if it wasn’t for him
getting an award for his 20 years of loyal service.
Joaquín García, 69, was recently fined $30,000 for the extended paid
vacation from a water treatment plant in Cádiz -- the maximum penalty
government officials could deliver, the BBC reported.
Continue after the cut......
According to deputy mayor Jorge Blas, it wasn't until Garcia was
due to be recognized for his hard work in 2010 that authorities realized his
office was sitting vacant.
"I wondered whether he was still working there, had he
retired, had he died? But the payroll showed he was still receiving a
salary," Blas told Spanish newspaper El Mundo, according to The Local.
“I called him up and asked him, ‘What did you do yesterday? The
month before, the month before that?’ He didn’t know what to say,” Blas said.
Garcia's water company co-workers thought the plant was being
overseen by local authorities because they hadn't seen Garcia in so long.
Garcia’s attorney, speaking on his behalf, reportedly blamed
bullying at his workplace for his absence. He also said there was no work to
do.
People close to Garcia told El Mundo that he dedicated himself
to reading philosophy instead and that he did not report the bullying out of
fear that he could be fired.
Garcia retired after the allegations came to light, though he
denies wrongdoing.
In the end, a court sided with the government, recently ordering
him to pay the five-digit fine.
Garcia has since petitioned to the deputy mayor not to pay the
fine and to have the judgement reviewed, The Local reported.
No comments:
Post a Comment