The workers of the Barcelona City Council (Barcelonès Nord) have mobilized to protest against the sweltering temperatures that they are forced to suffer at their jobs. The situation of the staff of the El Viver building is especially worrisome, which due to its glass design, temperatures of 32º are exceeded inside. A situation that for the current mayor, Xavier Garcia Albiol "is inhumane and inadmissible."
Municipal employees, including Guàrdia Urbana agents, have been protesting this situation for years, which has even forced them to personally purchase cooling systems, such as fans and portable air conditioners. Given the situation suffered during the heat wave, the Garcia Albiol government has urgently mobilized a consignment of 2.5 million euros for air conditioning systems in municipal buildings and spaces.
As a consequence of the lack of investment and maintenance of municipal facilities in recent years, the Badalona City Council has not been able to set up climate shelters for citizens either, as other municipalities have done by opening air-conditioned offices and libraries as citizen rest areas. Only the park of Can Solei and Ca l'Arnús, in the shade of the trees, is considered a climate refuge.
The second deputy mayor of the Badalona City Council, Cristina Agüera, acknowledges the precarious situation, pointing out that "the current government has found itself in a very complicated situation, with many equipment without the air conditioning working" with the air conditioners in poor condition or directly "spoiled, without any maintenance". Hence, the commitment for next year is to have municipal offices, spaces such as libraries and civic centers duly air-conditioned so that they function as "climate shelters for citizens".
In the first instance, to find out the current state of the air conditioning installations and the investments that will be required, the council carries out a diagnosis of the state of 83 buildings, such as schools, sports facilities and municipal centres. This count will provide a complete relationship of the current state of the facilities and the air conditioning machinery.
In addition, the municipal government has started the tender for the improvement and replacement of machinery in different spaces such as the server room of the municipal building of El Viver, the Angeleta Ferrer Nature School (Can Miravitges), the District Municipal Office (OMD) 5. Building A of the Urban Guard and the Municipal Archive located on Avenida Marquès de Montroig.
Meanwhile, in an attempt to alleviate the current situation, the City Council has purchased 25 portable refrigeration units that will come into operation next week.
