What happened to Mansion?
INTO THE DEPTHS
The inside story of criminal activity during Gibraltar’s gambling boom
Discover the secrets of Spain’s first underwater winery
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Ceuta for Morocco?
Vol. 10 Issue 240
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SCAN here for the latest news January 29th - February 11th 2025
COULD IT HAPPEN HERE?
EXCLUSIVE
SPAIN is in for a rocky ride with the Trump administration that could potentially see the new US president target Spanish exclaves in Africa. Despite hosting the US Sixth Fleet at the Rota navy base in Cadiz, Spain is in Trump’s firing line for its low defence spending, hostility to Israel and his poor personal relations with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. Fresh from designating Spain an unfriendly ‘BRICS nation’ on his first day in office, a former Biden advisor has told the Olive Press that Trump could even ‘recognise Moroccan sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla.’ “There are a number of different grievances in US-Spain relations, and there are a number of ways the Trump administration could retaliate over those grievances,” said Michael Walsh, a US foreign policy expert in Africa and the Middle East. Walsh admitted it would be a ‘surprising move’, but added that Trump had form for such actions, having already recognised Moroccan sovereignty over Spain’s ex-colony Western Sahara during his first term. “If there was to be such a move, one would expect a conflict with Continues on page 4
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Emergency services carry out ‘low sophistication’ terror attack drill at Europa Point - See page 4
Water hostag ge THE government has warned that Gibraltar’s water supplies could be ‘under threat’ from strike action by AquaGib employees. The Chief Minister called an emergency meeting of the Civil Contingency Committee to ‘protect Gibraltar’s water supply’ after workers stopped producing drinking water for the territory last Friday. A long-running pay dispute saw Unite the Union back the strike action, which resulted in ‘water production in Gibraltar being halted from 8am until 2.45pm.’ The workers returned to their stations in the afternoon, but Stuart Davies, Unite lead negotiator, told the Olive Press that ‘further strike action cannot be ruled out’. “There is sufficient water supply in Gibraltar, the taps won’t run dry as soon as AguaGib employees go on strike,” Davies said. “The Ministry of Defence also has an alternative supply, so there are existing stocks of water. Strike action by our members is not going to threaten that.” He continued: “Instead of calling a meeting of the Civil Contingencies Committee, they should’ve picked up the phone to me as a best first step, rather than flexing their muscles and rattling sabres.” He added that the union would ‘not be deterred from taking industrial action’ but they would ‘fully consider
Unite slams goverment ‘scare tactics’ as chief minister accuses striking AquaGib employees of ‘threatening Gibraltar water supplies’
ACTION: Picardo called an emergency meeting after AquaGib workers went on strike (left) Stuart Davies
By Walter Finch
the potential impact on water supply, the stocks available and the contingencies that the employer have’ when doing so. Davies’ comments come after a dramatic day in which the government stormed it would ‘NEVER tolerate any industrial action which threatens serious damage to human welfare by disrupting the production and supply of water.’ Fabian Picardo added: “Securing our water supply to our people is essential. “The Government will not accept action that leaves our citizens at risk of losing access to reliable supplies of water, whatever the reasons behind that. “This is a key issue and it engages the government’s powers under the Civil Contingencies Act. “We defend the right to strike, to protest and to withhold labour but we will not tolerate that right being
abused in a manner that deprives our people of water.” AquaGib management claimed that Unite the Union is demanding an ‘unreasonable’ 27% pay rise for its employees at the Reverse Osmosis (RO) plant located at Governor's Cottage, as well as a second one in Waterport. “AquaGib employees, including those in the RO department, already enjoy exceptionally competitive salaries and benefits packages, and increasing it by 27% is neither necessary nor affordable,” it said in a statement. Davies told the Olive Press that the 27% demand was ‘accurate’, but the figure was a ‘negotiating strategy’ as part of their members’ ‘lawful industrial action.’
“We held a meeting with the government and AquaGib in March, the claim was then rejected in full in October 2024 and they were warned it was going to strike action back in December,” Davies added.
Threat
“The government knew all of this, but chose to sit on its hands and then act surprised when we did what we said we were going to do.” Instead, Davies called the decision to convene the Civil Contingencies Council ‘a real threat to the right to strike.’ Negotiations are ongoing. Opinion Page 6