The Manager of Ocio de Ibiza, José Luis Benítez, says that closed nightclubs in Ibiza are a huge economic drain for their owners or managers: “The real estate of many companies is not owned, but rented. They have to pay for water and electricity. Most of them have retained staff in the offices, as well as those in marketing and social media. At the very least, it costs companies 50,000 to 100,000 euros a month just to stay in business. And that shows how important they are: they are not the kind of businesses that just close the shutters at the end of the season and walk away. A few days ago, Pacha was telling me that it employed 30 people, even when it was closed. Hï has about twenty”.
In just one night 170 are directly employed. Did you give that figure to the Conseller for Employment? What did he think?
As Conseller for Employment, for him jobs are of paramount importance. And he is one of the people who has fought hardest for the ERTEs. I explained to him how many people worked, the companies involved and that all this movement generates more employment and makes it possible to hold on during the winter, when workers generate more wealth. If you don’t work, in winter you don’t go to restaurants or bars or buy clothes. We have made this clear to the Govern. In our association alone we are talking about 3,000 direct jobs. And we are not satisfied with this myth that people come from outside and take the money: leisure entrepreneurs are from the island, they send their children to Ibizan schools, they pay taxes here and most of their workers are from here. Some of the jobs are filled by people from abroad, but they spend their money here and rent flats. We are tired of this label that we take the money and run.
Have you calculated how many people are still on ERTEs or unemployed because of the closure of nightlife?
About 2,000 of those 3,000 workers.