The Ministry of Social Security has summoned social agents next Monday, October 14 to begin the working table on sick leave (temporary disability), during which Minister Elma Saiz’s proposal regarding “flexible” medical leave will be discussed. » which allow you to work partially, among other things. other problems.
This was announced on Tuesday by the Secretary of State for Social Security, Borja Suárez, who recalled that the dialogue table had been involved in the last agreement on pensions.
Its objective is a more in-depth analysis of temporary incapacity, taking into account its increase in recent years, in particular due to the increase in work stoppages for mental illness. This measure was one of the demands of the employers, who place great emphasis on the increase in “absenteeism”.
On the one hand, the table will evaluate the functioning of future agreements to direct patients towards mutual insurance companies, which also appeared in the last social agreement on pensions.
Reform of the wounded for their “improvement”
On the other hand, the purpose of the table will also be to “take stock” of the evolution of sick leave for temporary incapacity and “to evaluate the possible improvements that can be established,” said Suárez.
This is a possible reform, as Minister Elma Saiz had already highlighted last week, when she explained that the system had to be adapted to “medical and technological advances”. Saiz then affirmed his desire to reform sick leave to make it more “flexible” and allow partial work in certain situations, such as in the long sick leave processes of cancer patients or in the event of multiple jobs.
Elma Saiz’s “number two” said that in this technical approach they would analyze examples from other countries, with “interesting experiences” in other states, such as the Scandinavian countries and France, among others. “We need to see to what extent they can be transferred to our region,” he said.
The Secretary of State for Social Security did not want to give more details on the approach to “flexible” sick leave announced by Minister Saiz, saying that this issue required “a lot of sensitivity” and work “with discretion.” at the dialogue table.
“Our concern and our trajectory is to expand rights. In no case can or should this be considered a restriction of rights, this is not our approach,” said Borja Suárez.
