A group of employees at the Council of Mallorca have sent an anonymous complaint to the Council's internal information system which accuses the tourism councillor, José Marcial Rodríguez, of attempting to assault the head of the tourism inspection service.
According to this complaint, the councillor arrived one day at the Alba Building, the headquarters of the inspection service. "As always he was shouting and disrespecting the head of the inspection service. One day he threatened that if he did not obey him he would not renew his service commission. Then he raised his hand to hit him. In the end he did not hit him but many officials saw him. There are witnesses. Many people saw him."
The document goes on to say that officials urged the head of inspection to report Rodríguez "for coercion, threats and attempted assault", but that he did not do so "out of fear".
This "fear of reporting" and of "possible reprisals that the councillor may take" is what led to the anonymous complaint to the system, which is the means whereby reports can be made of possible improper conduct. The same report was sent to the Balearic Government's complaints channel on December 22.
Three other alleged cases of psychological abuse are highlighted in the complaint. These were by superiors and resulted in three officials changing their positions - the head of the sanctions service, an official at the tourism management service and the head of legal services, who finally resigned due to "abuse, shouting and lack of respect by the director for tourism demand and hospitality, Clara del Moral". She allegedly forced him to write "irregular reports". According to the document: "When the official asked to speak to the councillor and explain to him about the irregular reports that the director forced him to make, the councillor ignored him and the director said it was a lie. But many know it was true."
Further allegations include preferential treatment towards the family of the mayor of Santa Margalida, Joan Monjo, in respect of the Sa Talaia Blanca agrotourism establishment in Muro that is said to have operated illegally from 2019 until this year. Also, Rodríguez is accused of "manipulating and falsifying data" with regard to sanctioning files and in respect of a reduction in the number of tourist accommodation places.
The councillor "flatly" denies each and every one of the accusations and is considering taking legal action. "I admit that I sometimes have an aggressive manner but it is totally false that I tried to attack the head of the inspection service. I did not raise my hand to him." He denies having any knowledge of psychological abuse of the three officials. On the Monjo affair, he says: "Everyone in my team knows perfectly well that no one is going to act outside the law with me."
He attributes the complaint to possible misgivings that his desire for excellence in management may have caused in the department: "I am like a new coach who alters the status quo of some members of the team who are used to another way of doing things, in a more relaxed way. I am demanding with myself and with my team, because I have come here to win the Champions League."