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Mercadona - Valencia's "John Lewis"
Turning centimos into millions
Feb 12th
A feature article in the Sunday Las Provincias describes the success of Mercadona, the Valencian Supermarket chain which plans to open 20 new stores, including one in the "Golden Mile" Calle Serrano of Madrid. This family-owned business will also be opening up stores in France and Italy (countries which are both culturally similar, and nearby). All the 63,000 Mercadona staff are on proper contracts and they start off at 1100 Euros a month (gross) with a pay increase after the first year and annual productivity bonuses (€210 million distributed last year). Most work near their homes and there is free childcare for staff. The suppliers of Mercadona's own branded goods (e.g. Deliplus, Hacendado) have supply contracts in perpetuity, provided they keep their quality high, and respond to requirements for new product lines. Mercadona has been able to save costs by shaving centimos from details of packaging (€80,000 saved by using plain drinking straws on packets of fruit juice rather than stripey ones) and keeping a narrow range of products within a product type. They are aware that shoppers are not sensitive to small price variations of goods, but are more aware of the total cost of their weekly shop. (reduced by 4% last year). The rate of absenteeism in 2010 was 0.85% versus 5% of the Spanish average. For full text of this article (in Spanish) see: Diariovasco - El tendero....
Mercadona to market fish from Valencia and Castellon guilds
Feb 1st
Mercadona has signed two agreements with the provincial federations of fishermen's associations of Valencia and Castellon to buy 200 tonnes of fresh fish per month. The parties also agreed to set the price of fish according to the day’s auction at the fish market. They hope both to support the local fisheries industry and promote the sale of fresh local fish in the interior using the supermarket's supply chain. For full story see: FIS World News
Labour reform makes it cheaper to fire workers
Feb 11th
The National Cabinet on Friday approved what Labour Minister Fátima Báñez termed an “historic” reform of the labour market that makes it cheaper and easier for companies to sack workers. “The objective of the government is to fight against unemployment, and stop the hemorrhaging of jobs,” Báñez said. “We will make the causes for dismissal much more specific. This will introduce more legal security for everyone.” The new legislation also includes measures on temporary contracts, hiring incentives, collective bargaining, job placement, training and setting up small businesses. For highlights of the measures see: El Pais (in English) - Labor reform....
Teulada Town Hall goes for Google
9th Feb
Teulada/Moraira Town Hall has decided to go for "Cloud Computing" and Google Apps as its technological platform for e-mail and group work, both internally as well as when interacting with the public. It is hoped they will be able to save 50% on IT maintenance since there will less need to update hardware and software. The platform enables employees and users to access data from computers and mobile devices at any time, since the information is stored in the "cloud" on Google servers. The announcement was made via a videoconference press release between the mayor of Teulada, Antoni Joan Bertomeu, the Director of Google Enterprise España y Portugal, Niels-Chrisitan Krüger and Javier Lorente, Enterprise Account Manager. From XAD: El Ayuntamiento....
Mediterranean seagrass could be hundreds of thousands of years old
Seagrass plants alive today may have begun life in the late Pleistocene at the dawn of humanity
A sprawling meadow of seagrass in the shallows of the Mediterranean may be the oldest living organisms on Earth. Scientists calculated the age of the plants from DNA tests on clumps gathered from the seafloor between Spain and Cyprus. They revealed the typical age of the seagrass, Posidonia oceanica, to be thousands or tens of thousands of years old, though some appeared to more ancient still. A 15km-wide stretch of seagrass lying in waters off the Spanish island of Formentera could be 200,000 years old, the scientists found, dating it to the late Pleistocene and the dawn of humanity. From: The Guardian
Public participation in Town Hall budgets - how best can this be done?
Feb 8th
Jávea's Department of Citizen Participation is organising a public meeting to initiate a system whereby the citizens of Jávea can have a say in determining aspects of the Town Hall's annual budget. Last year, because of lack of time, members of the public chose from a list of projects via a simple vote at an Agenda21 meeting. Councillor Camprubí wants to develop a more open and representative system. As a first step towards this he will be hosting an informative meeting to outline the methods and experiences of participatory budgets in other Spanish Towns. The speaker will be sociologist and specialist in this field , Francisco Francés García. The meeting will be on Wednesday 15th February at 8.00pm in the Casa de Cultura. All welcome. (From Press Release and Agenda21 notification.) For details see: Participatory budgets
Proposal to restore the salt marsh of the Saladar
Feb 6
The Cirne Foundation recently organized a talk on the Saladar and its cultural heritage in which the plant biologist Jaume Soler proposed the protection of this natural area, referring to its risk as a flood prone area, its biological, historical and cultural values and new legislation regarding conservation of the coast . For details see: Soler's proposal for the Saladar
Jávea up to date with contributions to regional services
Feb 6th
Jávea Town Hall has authorized the payment of its contribution to the Provincial Consortium for the Fire Prevention, Extinction and Rescue Service of Alicante corresponding to the first semester of 2012 for a total of 103,000 Euros. As with the Provincial Fire Service, the municipality is up to date on its payments to all consortia or commonwealths (mancomunidades) that offer services to the Marina Alta district (comarca) such as the Consorci Esportiu de la Marina Alta (CEMA), Mancomunitat Cultural de la Marina Alta (MACMA), the Consortium for the Economic Recovery and Activity of the Marina Alta (CREAMA) and the Area Waste Plan of Area 15 corresponding to the Marina Alta. The Local Council has paid all its contributions for 2011 and has budgeted those for the current year in the 2012 accounts, ratified since December. From Press Release.
Almost as many houses as people
Feb 5th
There are 210,000 new dwellings up for sale in the Comunidad Valenciana. In the Marina Alta there are more than 20,000 empty properties and an estimated 56,000 second homes. These vacant properties enhance the impression of ghost towns, notable among which are Gata Residencial with over 300 of its 700 houses empty and up for sale, and the Via Augusta between the Port and Arenal in Jávea. Records for Dénia and Xàbia show that there are almost the same number of houses as there are inhabitants on the Padrón. From Levante Print Edition: "Mas de 300,000 casa Vacias"
Xàbia Port Expansion ditched ?
Valencia wants to re-organise existing harbour
Feb 5th
It seems that the proposal for enlarging the port of Javea has been torn up and now the Regional Ministry of Infrastructure, Planning and the Environment is working on a project to reorganize the current harbour. The demands of the Town Hall, and the Club Nautico (whose concession expires in 2017) have been taken into account and Valencia is now looking at optimising the space in the Port harbour and improving use of the Canal de la Fontana and adjacent municipal land for small boats. From XAD: Conselleria quiere.... For detailed background to this issue see:Port
Town Hall organises family workshops for parents of teenage childen
Professionals will advise on dealing with sexuality, substance abuse and communication breakdown.
Feb 1st.
How would you react if your son told you he was fed up and threatened to leave home? Or if your daughter confessed that she was two months pregnant and had no idea what to do? What would you do if you found marijuana in your son's pockets? How would you react if you received a phone call from the police saying that your daughter was in an alcoholic coma? Preparing yourself for these situations is the main goal of the workshop that the Javea Town Hall and the local Red Cross Assembly have organised for the parents of teenagers in the municipality. At these meetings parents will learn techniques for improving communication within the family, as well as tips on how to prevent, or how to react appropriately to problems having such as teenage sex, substance abuse, or eating disorders. The project involves the departments of Youth, Health, Social Services and Education, whose staff will help explain the problems that teenagers are facing and how they affect their relationship with their parents. From press release. For more details see: Workshops for parents of teenage children
Consultative Committee on Town Planning and the Environment convened
First task will be the General Plan
Feb 3rd
Jávea's Consultative Committee on Town Planning and the Environment has been set up. This is a forum to discuss the options for development and environmental issues affecting the municipality. One of the most important topics for discussion will be the future General Town Plan, which is under review, but the forum will also address more specific issues such as the planning of roundabouts and infrastucture affecting the use of public roads. The chairman will be Sapena Pere, Councillor for Town Planning , who will be accompanied by a representative of each political group on the Council. The other members are spokespersons for groups such as neighborhood associations, businesses, construction, services, technical departments etc. The Agenda 21 forum will be represented by Manuel Fernández and Guiomar Ramírez-Montesinos. It will meet every two weeks.From Press Release and XAD: Xàbia constitue... For details see: Town Planning - Consultative Committee
Moraira/Teulada, Benissa and Val de Pop club together to promite tourism
Feb 2nd
Moraira/Teulada, Benissa and Val de Pop have signed an agreement to organise joint tourist promotions including a "Tourist Guide Benissa, Teulada-Moraira, Vall de Pop" which brings together tourism products grouped under sea, nature, culture and gastronomy, with the common link being Muscatel. There is also a calendar of activities entitled "Let yourself Go" From XAD: Media area...
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Ring Road Repairs start Monday February 6th
Works in three phases over 6 weeks
Feb 1st
Repair work on the ring roads around the Old Town will begin Monday February 1st. As explained previously, the company responsible for the original work is to replace cobbles which have lifted and waste-paper bins which have gone rusty. These repairs fall under the original warranty and therefore will not involve any expenditure to the municipal coffers. Town Hall will take the opportunity to smooth the sharp kerbs which have caused damage to cars and which constitute a danger to pedestrians. These works have been commissioned to a local company at a cost of 0.70 Euros per metre, with an estimated total cost of less than 2,000 Euros. For details about which roads will be affected when and detours which will be necessary, see: Ring Road repairs 2012
Old Town gears up for Valentine's Day
Special offers in shopping, eating and beauty treatments
Jan 30th
The Xàbia Histórica business association has given details of its new Valentines' Day campaign. Juan Luis Cardona, Councillor for Economic Development, announced that this year will be the first time that the campaign will offer other opportunities alongside the usual culinary ones, including discounts in shopping and beauty treatments. "The Association has changed its mindset and is using its imagination to come up with new ideas to revitalise the Old Town,” added the Councillor. "Xàbia Histórica takes you along the paths of love" consists of four special routes to entice customers. These routes include offers from restaurants and night spots which have prepared special menus, cocktails and dance sessions for Friday 10th and Saturday 11th , as well as Valentine's Day itself on Tuesday 14th February. For Details see: Valentine's Day in the Old Town 2012
New Organisational structure for Xàbia Red Cross
Jan 28th
The Xàbia Red Cross, headed by José Luis Domenech, has introduced a new organizational structure for the local management team in order to change the way that it works. The new structure is designed to encourage teamwork through key management actors. Each person will address a different area and assign its own team of volunteers for the various tasks which the NGO carries out in the municipality (environment, first aid, health etc.) Each key person will share their policies with the management team to ensure collective decisions are made. They also want to promote the youth section which has a group of volunteers who want to get involved, as well as the Environment section. From XAD: La Cruz Roja.....
Arenal refubishment delayed till after the summer
Jan 27th
Due to delays in hiring the company to work on the Arenal promenade, Javea mayor, José Chulvi , has decided to propose to the Valencia Government that the start of work should be delayed until until after the summer. The tendering process has not yet been completed since a number of companies have to justify their abnormally low bids. No deadlines have been met, and the start date would be around April, meaning the job would be unlikely to be finished before the summer season.The Arenal businesses have been informed of the decision. For more see: Plenary meeting 26 Jan 2012
Bloc opposed to cuts in beach surveillance contract
Jan 27th
Bloc Councillor, Pepa Chorro , claims that the 16% cut in the new beach surveillance contract could be dangerous for swimmers. Under the new contract life guards to carry out several functions, contrary to the recommendation of the Federation of Municipalities and Provinces which advises "one person, one function". e.g. the the beach lifeguard is the same person who would drive the ambulance; and the person driving the boat is also the lookout from the sea. Also the contract specfies that the guards will help with other duties, such as clearing seaweed from the beach, when times are slack, thus detracting from their main task. BLOC has therefore asked the executive to reconsider the decision to cut 16% (€64,000) from the the budget for beaches From XAD: Bloc Centristes....
La Sella Golf Course - a lifeline for endangered bats
Jan 27th
The cave of the Punta de Benimaquia (at the "tail" end of the Montgó) is a refuge for the endangered Long Fingered Bat (Myotis capaccinii). A study, carried out by the biological station of Doñana, University of Copenhagen and University of Pais Vasco has shown that its survival owes much to the ponds and water features of the Sella Golf course. This bat normally preys on mosquito larvae, aquatic insects and small fish in streams and marshes. Such natural habitats are disappearing in the Denia area, but those created by the golf course have proven to be an excellent substitute for the bat colony. The Golf course lies within the protected area of the Montgó Natural Park. (From Levante print edition.)
Diver caught poaching Sea Urchins
Jan 27th
The black sea urchins (known locally as erizos or bogamarins), are both a protected species and delicacy, and over recent years their populations have been decimated by over-fishing. A few days ago a diver was caught at Les Rotes (Dénia) in a protected area of the Marine Reserve of Cabo de San Antonio. He had 327 specimens of the creature, some of which were very small. (From Levante print edition)
Campaign to catalogue important trees
Jan 26th
The Town Hall has teamed up with the Cirne Cultural foundation in a campaign to catalogue all the ancient, unique and monumental trees in the municipality. From this they hope to publish a catalogue and prepare an educational exhibition for schoolchildren so that they learn to appreciate their local plant heritage. A tourist route could also be organised. Landowners with important trees on their property would benefit by receiving pruning and pest control services from the Town Hall. Although the requirements for heritage trees are regulated by regional law (they must be at least 350 years old, minimum of 30 metres high, minimum trunk diameter 6 m), the requirements for local unique trees and may relate to traditional uses or cultural preservation. For more details see: Monumental trees catalogue
New English course for Javea’s unemployed
Classes will be taught by British volunteers
Jan 25th
Jávea Town Hall through the Foreign Residents Office (HelpDesk) and the Consortium for Economic Recovery and the Activity of the Marina Alta (CREAMA) has opened registration for the second edition of the English courses to be taught by 15 native British volunteers. Those interested in attending these free classes have until the 30th of this month to sign up at the Creama offices in Javea in Carrer Roques No 5. Places are limited to 15 students per group and there will be three shifts: Monday and Wednesday from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm; Tuesday and Thursday from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm and a third group in the early evening (from 4.30 to 7.30 p.m., days to be determined). The teachers, all of them volunteers will then divide students into three levels: Beginner, Elementary and Pre-Intermediate. The course has a duration of 120 hours and will be held in the premises of the Adult Education Centre (EPA). At the end of the course CREAMA will give each student a certificate. The courses are aimed at the unemployed. From Press Release.
Javea to be the starting point of a low-cost trans Morocco rally
Participants will take basic goods to desert towns and villages
Jan 24th
In March, Javea will be the starting point of the spring edition of the Maroc Challenge, a rally that runs through African territory and which is specifically aimed at amateurs with limited resources and no backing from sponsors, but who want to live a great adventure. The rally also has a charitable aspect, as the participants will be taking basic goods and materials to the desert people as they travel through. The first edition of this low-cost rally was held last December, when it proved to be a great success in terms of participation. In its second edition, with a full two months to go before registration closes,27 teams have already signed up. For more see Maroc Challenge 2012
Proposal to move bull running back to the Plaza del Convento
But aftermath of San Sebastian opens up the debate
Jan 25th
Following the success of the San Sebastian bull running in the Church square last week - at least as far as the takings in local bars and restaurants are concerned - the Councillor for Fiestas, Juan Ortolà, has proposed to move the bull running for the Fiestas de Nazareno at the end of April back to the newly paved Plaza del Convento. However, not everyone was so happy about the consequences of last week's festivities. Councillor for services, Doris Courcelles, had earlier obtained a quote from CESPA for the clean up (€2,400 including high pressure cleaning). The Association which organised the fiesta, ACTX, preferred to save this money and promised to clean up on a budget of €448. But on Monday, the area was in a mess, just like after a teenagers party. The paving was dirty and stained, one tree had been uprooted, recently painted steps were dirty again and the tosca facade of the church damaged. The cleanup is estimated to take around a week and there is doubt that all the stains can be removed from the porous granite. The Town Hall must now consider whether the consequences of the fiesta exceed its benefits. Courcelles will publicise the cost of the cleanup as soon as they are available. ACTX had promised that the fiestas would "not cost a single Euro" to the Towns coffers. From XAD: Fiestas quiere... For a view from the Brirish media see: Javea Amigos: Bulls to remain in town....
