259 public servants fired by Spain using direct rule

The Spanish government has fired 259 public servants of the Catalan administration while applying direct rule over Catalonia from October 27, 2017. This is the main outcome of a report made by an association of public workers called ServidorsCAT released on Friday. The paper also points out that 24 bodies have been suppressed, 4 more have been taken over and some 70 legislative initiatives halted, such as a bill on the work-life balance and one against gender violence. The nine high-ranking officials incarcerated and the seven in exile –including Carles Puigdemont– are also featured in the report.

The officials dismissed by the Spanish authorities include all members of the Puigdemont cabinet and workers of the Economy and Finances departments. All Catalan delegations abroad save the one in Brussels were removed, therefore all of their workers also lost their jobs. The Diplocat public diplomacy council was also closed down last month, so a number of its employees were also fired.