The Catalan opposition party CiU has put forward a proposal for residents in the Ciutat Vella area of Barcelona to have direct means of communication with the Guàrdia Urbana through a network of surveillance cameras with a built-in alarm (article in Castilian, La Vanguardia). Based on a system already used in the British city of Liverpool, the idea would be that if someone finds themselves in trouble, they would just need to press an alarm button to be put in touch with the police, and for the cameras to start filming the incident. CiU inititally wants a group to investigate which areas in the old town are particularly prone to problems, working with residents to decide where the camera-alarms would be placed.
The Generalitat wants to introduce a trial period of three months for new civil servants, or funcionaris, after they pass their entrance exams (opposiciones) (article in Castilian, El Periodico). The Catalan government is trying to bring about a reformation of the public administration system and one new aspect would be this trial period, which is very common in the private sector here but not the public; there would be no guarantee of a permanent job at the end of the three month trial. Trade union representatives announced that they were not happy with the proposal, which could be approved as early as September along with the wider reformation of the civil servant system in Catalunya, but that they are willing to negotiate about it.
New Barcelona fashion fair, The Brandery opens today with 113 different brands exhibiting their 'urban fashion' at the Fira de Barcelona (article in Castilian, La Vanguardia). The organisers of The Brandery are hoping for between eight and ten thousand visitors to this show that was created following the decision earlier this year by the organisers of the Bread and Butter show not to continue in Barcelona anymore despite the growth it had seen while taking place here.