Even if in the event of a red notice from AEMET, you cannot go to work if there is a risk to your health, as detailed here in this newspaper before the passage of DANA in Malaga, the largest company in contact center In Spain, Konecta had considered as unpaid the justified absences of employees who reported their absence at the workplace on the day of November 13, when the storm wreaked havoc in the capital and other regions of the province. After the news was announced in a press release from the General Confederation of Workers (CGT), the company rectified with another press release in which it indicated that “no deduction has been made or will be made on the mass salary for the day corresponding to red”. alert notice
“We manage the reported absence as an unpaid justified absence,” responded the telemarketing multinational to an employee who, working from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., formally reported her absence the next day. “The requested permit is not applicable since the worker will have the right to be absent from work due to force majeure when this is necessary for urgent family reasons related to family members or cohabiting partners, in the event of illness or accident making their immediate presence essential. » Konecta argued in Friday’s communication to the employee, as verified by this newspaper.
According to the public complaint, the multinational had announced to the works council (eight of its nine members belong to the CGT) that it would deduct the absences occurring that day from the payroll of its staff. The center of the telemarketing multinational is located in the Andalusia Technology Park, which is home to almost 700 companies. Last Wednesday, companies based in this enclave avoided travel as much as possible and organized their work “as during the pandemic”. “Today there were very few people at the PTA, the parking lots, always full, were practically empty,” the president of the technopole, Felipe Romera, told La Opinión.
Various middle managers at the company reportedly informed staff that they would not compensate for absences from work last Wednesday, as revealed by the CGT organization. The telemarketing multinational, after warning of the measure, also offered the possibility of recovering hours not worked so that sanctions were not applied, according to the CGT. The company has around 450 employees in the province of Mála who provide services to companies such as Iberia, Vueling, Emasa or Mapfre.
The company, consulted by this newspaper, sent a statement to the media this Monday morning in which it assured that its “priority has always been the protection and well-being” of its workers and that, in this specific case, “no deduction has not been made nor will it be made in the pay of the day corresponding to the red alert notice. “From the first moment, we have taken the necessary measures to guarantee the safety of all our employees in the affected areas”, they add, specifying that “for the campaigns which allowed it, teleworking was activated as an immediate solution ” and “for those who could not attend their shift or carry out their work remotely, it was communicated that their absences would be fully justified, ensuring that they would have no financial repercussions.
The day before DANA passed Malaga, AEMET had already activated the red alert due to heavy rainfall of up to 200 liters per square meter. When the notice was orange, the CGT had already sent “several requests” to Konecta to take “urgent measures” such as choosing teleworking that day. “Once the level went red, we insisted on the fact that we had to guarantee the safety of staff. However, the company has maintained absolute silence and none of the communications issued by the legal representatives of the workers have been taken into account,” denounced the organization.
Konecta, despite everything, “continued to open its doors, even if many chose to stay at home so as not to put their safety and their lives at risk. The recklessness was such that at noon, when the EMT had already paralyzed all its bus lines and the Campanillas river was on the verge of overflowing, the company decided to proceed with the activation of the evacuation of those present”, reported the CGT about the DANA day.
The CGT had launched a written complaint campaign so that the workers concerned could claim payment of the corresponding sums under article 21 of the law on the prevention of occupational risks, which considers that “in the event of serious, imminent danger and inevitably, those who work may interrupt their activity.” without suffering any harm.
The works council, reports the CGT, reported “numerous irregularities in matters of prevention, occupational health and violations of the law in matters of hiring, pay, etc., many of which have already given rise to demands and sanctions from the Labor Inspectorate.
