In a ruling from the High Court of Justice of the Valencian Community, the provincial secretary of the United Civil Guards Union (AUGC) in Alicante was granted the right to use a vacation day in September 2020. The decision came despite the officer not being required to attend a testimony examination that month, and the disciplinary file related to the case has not yet been resolved by the court system. The AUGC publicly described the ruling as confirming a procedural entitlement and noted that the disciplinary matter remains unsettled pending higher court input. (AUGC)
Several details from the AUGC outline describe how the disciplinary case arose after a social media disclosure of alleged difficult working conditions for members of the Traffic Group in Alicante. The union claims the directive originated from Ramón Rueda Ratón, who at the time served as the head of the Traffic Group. According to AUGC, the officer was instructed by Ratón and later faced scrutiny that prompted the need to review whether the action constituted a valid assignment of service time. The agent reportedly traveled to the Directorate General of Traffic in Madrid, where it became clear that the visit was identified as an official service action, with the appropriate uniform worn during the engagement. (AUGC)
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AUGC states that the claims of the officer and the sequence of events were not corroborated by higher-level superiors. The union notes that the Alicante delegation attorney, Alberto Manuel Molla Diez, filed an appeal with the TSJ. The appeal was accepted, and the officer was granted permission to take the unused vacation day. (AUGC)
The AUGC emphasizes the broader significance of the ruling, arguing that it exposes a pattern where civil guard commanders initiate disciplinary actions against attorneys and seek to penalize them for asserting they were not responsible for prosecuted colleagues. The union contends that such actions can produce a double punishment: sanctions on one front and the loss of leave time on another, especially when investigations and prosecutions consume days that would otherwise be allocated for rest. (AUGC)
Officials and members of AUGC express concern about the long processes required to safeguard social and labor rights for civil guards. The union warns that the time and finances spent on these procedures place a burden on citizens who rely on the system for protection and fair treatment. (AUGC)