When work is still being done on the renovation of the authorized terraces during the pandemic in the bars and restaurants of Barcelona, the timetable discussion has once again unveiled the sector. To the point that this Tuesday the Guild of Restoration of Barcelona has made it clear that they will not accept “any time cuts”, neither general nor in specific locations, for the terraces of the city.
The controversy has arisen after the Fecasarm leisure employers requested the extension of hours in recent weeks, taking advantage of the reactivation of the sector after two years of crisis and to compensate for losses for two years. The request was flatly rejected by the city council, but it gave rise to some neighborhood groups taking the opportunity to ask for the opposite, a cut. Within this framework, the council announced a few days ago its intention to tame some of the noisiest spaces in the city, which has unleashed some alarms in the restaurant sector.
Loyalty to the 2018 pact
The union has released a statement of rejection of any snip, remembering that the 2018 terrace agreement that modified the ordinance and the commitment of all parties to respect the schedules. For this reason, they rule out requesting an extension, but demand co-responsibility from the city council. “Although we are aware that many Barcelonans would welcome an extension, we prefer to remain loyal to the 2018 pact, and we expect the same behavior from everyone”, said its director, Roger Pallarols.
Related news
To defend its position, the entity has referred to the poll among a thousand users that he made last fall and that he now recovers and publishes in its entirety. It was stated in it that seven out of ten were in favor of earning hours of terracing, and that more than eight out of ten are in favor or very much in favor of maintaining the nightstands gained or expanded during the pandemic to compensate for the restriction of interior capacity whenever possible. A) Yes agreed with the municipal governmentin a process that involves redesigning all those that will remain on the road.
The employers have taken the opportunity to emphasize that the Catalan capital is in the Spanish cities “more restrictive” in the time regulation of the terraces. And he has not missed an opportunity to also highlight that “the vast majority of customers” (eight out of 10) do not see the need to tighten the regulations on tobacco consumption in the night tables, for which he asks the Minister of Health, Carolina Darias to “leave her office” and “take note” of the opinion of the people.