The majority union of the Lleida Urban Guard, Asigull, has demanded from the Paeria an urgent renewal of the vehicle fleet of the body, considering that part of the fleet presents a state incompatible with daily service.
The trade union organization maintains that several vehicles should have been withdrawn from active service years ago and warns that the lack of available units has already forced the cancellation of services. Among the incidents it reports are constant mechanical breakdowns, deficient air conditioning, and safety elements such as tires, brakes, and suspensions at their limit.
Request for immediate removal of several vehicles
Asigull maintains that the conditions of some cars and vans are inhumane and that they violate basic criteria of habitability and occupational risk prevention. In this context, it requests the immediate withdrawal of the 6 vehicles in the worst condition and their replacement with new units.
The union also demands that the cargo vans that do not have rear ventilation or operable windows be immediately removed. To this, it adds the request to hire a professional service for the cleaning of the vehicles, a measure it considers necessary to maintain adequate working conditions.
A three-year renovation plan
Asigull's proposal involves deploying a fleet renewal plan within a three-year period. The objective set by the union is that no vehicle exceeds 5 years or 150,000 km of active service, with the idea of preventing patrols from working with aging units or with insufficient maintenance.
The claim arrives at a time when the availability of mobile means directly affects the daily operations of the Lleida Urban Guard, especially in patrol and ordinary response services.
The response of the Paeria
For its part, the Paeria has defended that in recent years it has intensified efforts to renew the vehicle fleet of the Lleida Urban Guard. The council has detailed that this year the delivery of 3 new patrol cars and a van for the Multipurpose Operational Unit is planned.
The city council has also recalled that in December it already incorporated a van and an SUV, and that during 2024 it acquired 15 new motorcycles. With these movements, the Paeria maintains that progress is being made in updating the fleet, while the union insists that the situation of several vehicles demands immediate measures to guarantee the safety and working conditions of the agents.