Palma's 240-metre concert bar sparks fairness call

A 240-metre bar and food trucks are due to serve people at a free concert in Palma on Saturday. Pimem-Restauración, the restaurant group within the Pimem business association, says the temporary operation goes far beyond a basic event service. It wants the same rules applied to the concert set-up as to Palma’s year-round bars, cafés, restaurants and concert halls.

The group says public land should not be turned into commercial space through temporary food and drink structures promoted or permitted by public authorities. It argues that the long bar and food trucks create a large-scale business operation while established venues continue to pay rent, taxes, licences and regulatory costs throughout the year.

Pimem-Restauración says the free concert will bring thousands of people into one enclosed event area, where much of their food and drink spending can take place. It has urged Palma City Council to ensure future events also bring economic benefit to existing hospitality and leisure businesses, rather than concentrating all commercial activity inside a temporary site.

The association is also calling for close scrutiny of the people working at such events. It says organisers should meet the same employment requirements as private businesses, including registering and hiring every worker, observing working hours and rest breaks, keeping time records, protecting staff from workplace risks and meeting social security duties.

It wants the Labour Inspectorate and other authorities to apply the same level of checks at large events as they do at permanent venues. The group also calls for equal standards on food safety, capacity limits, waste management, hygiene and sanitation, as well as access to drinking water under the legal requirements.

Topics: Housing · Culture · Environment · Food & dining · Politics · Palma

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com