The Red Cross will not be responsible for the surveillance of the beaches of Dénia for "not being able to assume the specifications" of the City Council
It has happened again. For the second time in the recent history of Dénia's beaches, the Red Cross will not be in charge of the surveillance and relief service. Or so it seems. But this time not for losing the tender as it happened, between controversy, in 2016, but this time directly they do not even present themselves to the contest.
Tomorrow is the deadline for submitting applications to win the City Council contract to perform the surveillance and relief service on the beaches of Dénia. And, although it is not public yet, we already know of a great absentee: the Red Cross.
As was the case in 2016, the Red Cross province does not see it economically profitable to assume this service. "We cannot present ourselves at a loss," the president of the Dénia Red Cross, Eduardo de la Morena, declares to this newspaper, who blames the bases of the statement for the decision made by the NGO.
According to the president, they have rejected presenting themselves since the specifications were not adjusted to the conditions they considered, despite having been updated after being challenged for the first time. When he left, according to De la Morena, the current interprofessional minimum wage was not taken into consideration, something that was attempted to be corrected with the second statement. With this update, there will be fewer resources to try to offset the salary increase. Also, this year the budget has almost 200.000 euros more than in the previous contract, according to the Councilor for Beaches, Pepe Doménech. However, it is not enough for the Red Cross, since they do not want to provide a deficient service or for their partners to assume the losses of the beaches, when "there are currently areas that require more of their help."
It is a decision that they have made "much to their regret," says the president of the Red Cross, and that he has personally transferred to the mayor, Vicent Grimalt. It remains to be seen if other companies have been submitted to the contest whose term ends tomorrow or is deserted, but everything seems to indicate that Dénia will be left without the service of the NGO.