Spain faces a fine of “almost ten million euros” for not reaching the eight -week parental permission to care for children. And going up, “at a rate of 9,760 euros” per day, they maintain in the Ministry of Labor. The department directed by Yolanda Díaz, a leader of adding in the Executive, requires the socialist part of the Government to approve already the remuneration of this labor permit, which warn that this millionaire sanction can assume to the public coffers as a result of the procedure initiated by Brussels against Spain.
“We are costing us a whopping for almost 10 million euros in what we have been in non -compliance,” said the Secretary of State for Labor, Joaquín Pérez Rey, when asked about the eight -week parental permit approved in 2023, without remuneration, and that he has assumed that the European Commission acts against Spain for breaching the European Conciliation Directive, 2019.
In work, they explain that, in February of last year, the European Commission filed a lawsuit against Spain before the Court of Justice of the European Union (TJUE) for this reason, which includes a proposal for a fine for both elevation that “has a minimum of 6,832,000 euros” and that “as of July 2, 2024 is increasing at a rate of 9,760 euros” per day. Thus, for the moment, the proposed sanction reaches almost 10 million euros. “The daily increase in the fine would stop at the time the directive is transpired entirely,” they add in the Ministry of Díaz.
European justice will establish whether there is a sanction
The figure disseminated by work is therefore the “commission proposal”, they indicate in the Ministry and explain that it will be the European justice that resolves whether Spain breaches community regulations with this permit and, if affirmative, the sum to pay for this violation. “This fine would be effective at the time of the sentence, which is when the TJUE sets the amount,” they respond to Eldiario.es in the Ministry of Labor, from where they expect the ruling to arrive “before summer.”
If there is a condemnation for Spain and the remuneration of the permit with agility is not approved, the sanction could even increase more, they warn in work: “the daily coercive fine of 43,920 euros per day of delay in the transposition would be added”, to be counted from the date on which it issued the judgment of the TJUE until the moment of the complete transposition of the European Directive.
In the department of Yolanda Díaz they argue that, during the judicial procedure, the commission can give up in its request for a coercive fine if the complete transposition occurs before the ruling. “However, even if it is transposed before the sentence, the commission will not give up the sum to so much raised,” these sources indicate.
The Second Vice President and Minister of Labor highlighted in her appearance in the Congress of Deputies last March that “Spanish families are waiting” this paid permit and, in addition, said that her delay is “economically inefficient.” “These days that we have discussed so much tax and non -taxation, … 9,760 euros daily for not complying with a directive,” said Yolanda Díaz, at a time marked by the debate on the payment of minimum salary taxes.
Add urges to reform the permission “with or without budgets”
The progressive coalition between PSOE and Sumar promised in the Government Agreement to “remunerate at least 4 weeks per child of the recently created parental care permission, as of August 2024, without prejudice to the improvements that can be adopted within the framework of the collective bargaining of the public sector.” However, and although the Minister of Social Rights, Pablo Bustinduy, competent in this matter, announced the remuneration in 2024 – together with the expansion of maternity and paternity permits at 20 weeks – has not been approved.
At this time, since the Ministries of Sumar they have explained that in the socialist part of the government they have framed the remuneration of the parental permit within the negotiation of the General State Budgets, which the Minister of Finance has not come to present due to the lack of support to carry them out.
In this context, in which the continuity of the mandate seems more likely with extended budgets, in the Ministry of Labor they insist on the need to approve the measure although there are no new public accounts. “If there are budgets, that is the place par excellence to resolve it, but on the non -budgetary scenario, the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy, what is clear is that the government program must be fulfilled,” said Joaquín Pérez Rey a few days ago.
“It is black about white, written, does not admit doubts,” added Yolanda Díaz’s ‘number two’ in the Ministry of Labor, which stressed that “this is not just a matter of political opportunity, it is also a legal obligation”, of compliance with the European Conciliation Directive. “Be it in the budgets or outside them, we must comply with Europe and we must comply with the obligations agreed in the coalition program,” said Pérez Rey.
Source: www.eldiario.es
