The Minister of Equality, Ana Redondo, announced that the parity law will be resolved next week thanks to an amendment aimed at correcting the “undesirable technical failure” that ended the reinforced protection of workers who take advantage of permits or adaptation of the day for care.
During his speech before the Equality Commission of the Congress of Deputies, where he appeared at his own request and that of the PP, Redondo indicated that the Government is working to correct this error, while affirming that “in the face of the alarmism that has been tendentiously attempted”, “workers are not without protection”.
The “technical error” that is now to be amended implies the disappearance of the protection that existed in the Workers’ Statute for those who benefited from the family care permit or who requested a modification of working hours by way of conciliation: the new rule has ceased to consider the dismissal as null and void in these cases.
The Equality Officer explained, however, that there are mechanisms that prevent the dismissal of the people they care for, through a systematic interpretation of current regulations, European regulations and the Workers’ Statute.
Furthermore, he stressed, the labor jurisdiction is “very guarantor” and has “well-founded case law” which establishes that dismissal by conciliation can constitute discrimination and, therefore, null.
“We have confidence in justice and we are sure that there will be no lack of protection or mass layoffs. (…) I consider it unfair to the businessmen and women of this country to assume that they will settle accounts with their workers on the basis of an error that has been recognized and that will be corrected immediately,” he said.
In this course, gender discrimination at work (wage gap, part-time and temporary contracts), imbalance in care and lack of shared responsibility or the introduction of paid leave for care are again outstanding issues.
Redondo deplored the “alarmism” and “disproportionate concern” generated by the “technical error” of the parity law which, he denounced, has “the main intention of questioning and vilifying equality policies and, in particular, the Ministry of Equality.”
“In perspective, the truth is that every action, measure and law promoted by this ministry is assessed through a magnifying glass a hundred times larger or a convex mirror that permanently distorts reality,” stressed Redondo, who spoke of a “destructive policy” of the opposition.
According to him, the effect of this opposition is “highly pernicious” because it gives public opinion “the feeling that equality policies are superfluous, that they are neither serious nor necessary for the advancement of rights.”
Trans law fraud figures
The minister spoke forcefully about the allegations of fraud in the trans law: “The data breaks the story.” And he detailed the figures of the law, which elDiario.es had partly put forward after a request to Transparency. Redondo stressed that a total of 5,900 people have requested a sex change since the law came into force, of which 85 requests have been rejected by the Civil Registry (1.44% of the total), and there have been 8 withdrawals and 5 files have expired without being completed. the modification of registration. The Trans law is being applied “normally” and helps to facilitate life and alleviate the suffering of people with stories full of frustration and difficulties, the minister stressed.
On “the apocalyptic story of those who, from maximalist positions, want to discredit and attack equal rights”, and which gives rise to “news of dubious reliability that make headlines in the media and social networks that do not correspond to reality” and he defended the functioning of the procedures related to the change of registry. “In case of suspicion of fraud or abuse of rights, registration is refused.”
“We know of the existence of organizations that, with a clear strategy of questioning the law, try to promote fraud, and although it is surprising, there are also men who are willing to interpret this farce,” said Redondo, who highlighted those groups “against diversity,” who “regret the time when the law of social danger or public scandal was in force.”
“I consider these attitudes inhuman and antidemocratic that contribute to continuing to judge, corner and harm a historically defenseless group such as trans people. The problem is not the law, the problem comes from those who abuse the law”, referring to the cases reported by some deputies of people accused of gender violence who request a change of registration to try to escape this responsibility. The head of Equality recalled that in all cases, even if the aggressor changes sex in the civil registry, he cannot avoid responding to the crimes of gender violence.
“I tell these individuals and those who encourage them that they will encounter two problems instead of one: they will have to face crimes derived from their violent attitudes and those derived from the fraud of the law that is prohibited in articles 6 and 7 of the Civil Code,” Redondo said.
