Emaus bankrupt – Workers in despair

DESPITE assurances given throughout the week beginning Monday May 25 that a solution had been found for the multiple financial problems facing children’s charity Emaus, the association has now begun bankruptcy proceedings.
The notice that the charity had gone into receivership was given to the association’s 106 employees, most of whom have not been paid for at least four months, at their temporary camp outside Altea Town Hall by their legal representative. All of them were devastated at the news they had been dreading for weeks, many in tears of disbelief that the love, care and protection they had given so many vulnerable children for so long had come to this. Their reaction was despair, fear for the future and deep distress.
Amid the rollercoaster of emotions was also anger that they had not been kept informed of development in the crisis that the children’s homes faced. Daniel Montiel, president of Emmaus-CCOO committee, said: “You cannot file a bankruptcy from one day to another. It requires at least 30 days to present, which suggests that for a month this was brewing.”
Emaus employees remained steadfast in their support of the people under their care in spite of being owed months of back wages by an association deeply in debt.
Francisco Nadal, director of Emaus, confirmed the application for bankruptcy. He added that there was a “positive” side to the situation in that “protection” had been requested for the workers and also for the continuity of the association.