The security company Security Services Kuo S.L., awarded the surveillance service for several municipal pools in Madrid, has entered bankruptcy and has ceased operations. Workers report that since the end of May, they have been facing incidents with users alone.
The company Security Services Kuo S.L., responsible for surveillance at the municipal pools in Usera and Villaverde, has requested voluntary bankruptcy, according to a ruling from the Commercial Court number 3 of Madrid dated June 11. The company acknowledges liabilities of 13.3 million euros against assets of 4.58 million, and the liquidation phase has already begun. Since the end of May, the lifeguards stopped coming to their posts, leaving the facility workers without support in the face of altercations.
A situation worsened by the heat
The first signs were noticed in mid-May, with the opening of the summer season. At the pools of Orcasitas and Plata y Castañar, the lifeguards began to be intermittently absent until, by the end of the month, they disappeared completely. “We went from four lifeguards daily to zero,” reports Eulalio Fernández, secretary of the UGT union in the Municipal Sports Service. “The workers themselves had to start dealing with incidents, from rule violations to assaults.”
The situation is repeated in Moratalaz, where another security company has also reduced its presence. Employees report receiving death threats from users due to the lack of authority. “We are not prepared to act as lifeguards. Our job is to assist the public, not to mediate in fights,” union sources explain.
The City Council initiates sanctioning proceedings
The works council has conveyed the issue to the District Boards of Usera and Villaverde, which informed that the City Council of Madrid is processing sanctioning proceedings against Security Services Kuo S.L. for repeated violations. The goal is to gather the necessary grounds to terminate the contracts and be able to tender a new surveillance service. In the meantime, workers remain unprotected.
“The company has already entered liquidation, so it is unlikely they will resume service. We need an urgent solution,” insists Fernández. The pool of Orcasitas, one of the busiest in the district, has seen incidents multiply with the arrival of high temperatures. “People are breaking the rules, entering without paying, and we can do nothing,” lament the employees.
A summer of uncertainty for bathers
For the residents of Usera, Villaverde, and Moratalaz, the lack of security poses an added risk. “One comes to cool off and enjoy, but if there is no control, anything can happen,” comments a regular user of the Plata y Castañar pool. Workers have asked the City Council to increase police presence at the facilities while the contractual situation is resolved.
The City Council, for its part, assures that it is working to restore the service as soon as possible. However, unions warn that the process of contract termination and new awarding may take weeks. “In the meantime, both workers and users are unprotected,” concludes Fernández.
The municipal pool season in Madrid extends until mid-September. Those affected hope that security will be restored before the summer ends. Otherwise, they fear that incidents will escalate. “We don’t want a tragedy to occur before measures are taken,” state the works council.
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