UPDATE: Metro employee suspended over ‘gay’ memo

THE employee who outlined in an internal Madrid Metro memo that ticket inspectors should be especially vigilant of gay people, buskers and beggars has been suspended pending an investigation.

The investigation will focus on whether the employee’s superiors were aware of the contents of the memo and if not, why the text wasn’t reviewed before it was circulated, according to El Pais.

The employee, who works in the security department, had sent out the memo earlier this week when inspectors were beginning their shifts. It lists stations where each employee must perform their duties and highlights a section of Line 2 between Sol and Las Rosas where inspectors were instructed to focus on “buskers, beggars and gays.”

Pablo Cavero, the regional transportation commissioner, is to meet with gay and lesbian groups on Monday to offer explanations.

– Original article –

Metro staff protest instruction to ‘double-check gays’ tickets’

TICKET inspectors on Madrid’s underground system are in uproar over a discriminatory memo they received ordering them to double-check tickets of ‘musicians, beggars and gays.’

In an internal note, the inspectors were ordered to pay special attention to homosexuals, musicians, beggars, peddlers and scroungers.

UGT trade union representative Teodoro Piñuelas has demanded those responsible for the memo be tracked down and dismissed.

Piñuelas said: “I don’t understand why it implies that homosexuals would not pay for their tickets and should be watched. What about tall people, blondes or people wearing glasses?”

Inspectors declared they did not intend to follow the orders, and consulted a lawyer who responded that the instructions could not legally be adhered to.

Although the instructions were believed to have come from the underground company’s Security department, Madrid Metro has denied all knowledge of the document and announced that an internal investigation would be run to find out who wrote it and why, and would apply disciplinary measures.

 “Madrid Metro rejects this type of statement, which has nothing to do with the company,” a company spokesman declared.