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south EDITION
iSSUE 640
20-26 January 2012
Schools protest as Valencia doesn’t pay up
Warning over generic drugs Keith Goodburn underwent a triple heart bypass in 2007 and has found out that switching medicines to generic tablets can have harmful side effects. p4
Bob gets coastal backing
by louise clarke
The Platform Pro Orihuela Costa and the ‘Vecinos y Comerciantes de Orihuela Costa’, are campaigning for a ‘reasonable and fair’ budget for the coast p7
Lloyds Bank International With 28 branches throughout Spain, seven of which are on the Costa Blanca and Costa Cálida, LBI understands the expat community and the problems and issues that it faces. p25
Showbiz Goss Bieber’s showing some early signs of paranoia p42
Getting conned? Noel’s been astonished at the treatment of golfers in mainland Europe. p62
Philip Timbrell
Making Orihuela Costa disabled friendly Cabo Roig resident Philip Timbrell joined councillor for Mobility and Transport in Orihuela, Martina Scheurer (LV), for the launch of a new initiative aimed at surveying disabled access in the area. Read the full story on page 5.
FRIDAY 13TH seemed an appropriate day for Las Culturas CEIP primary school in Torrevieja to hold a short and peaceful rally to protest about the lack of funding from the Valencia government. The teachers, assistants and parents are not happy about the lack of financial support from the regional government since April 2011. Las Culturas and schools like it have received no budget for basic equipment for almost a year and although they have been promised that they will receive the money due to them, they haven’t received it yet. A representative from the school told RTN: “The only way we are managing to keep the school running is by using the money that parents contribute towards ‘comedor’. Without this we would have nothing. We would not even be able to buy paper for the photocopier or toilet paper.” It’s not only Las Culturas that is affected but every school
in the Valencia region. And not just in relation to buying resources, teachers pay and conditions are also being affected. “We have two grades of teacher,” explained one teacher, “one is fully qualified and the others are ‘interinos’. The fully qualified teachers are having their salaries cut but for the ‘interinos’ it’s even worse; no pay if they’re ill or for the whole of the summer holidays. Three months without income is very difficult to budget for.” He added: “We are all very anxious, angry and bemused and we feel that the public services here are paying for the mistakes of the private sector and politicians. It’s the most vulnerable who are being affected, the young, the old and the ill. It’s not just our schools that will suffer. They’re slicing money from the health service, social services, everything that people depend on. It affects every community in this region. We are all in this together.” Continued on page 3