“The weight of the law will fall on those who are endangering the lives of our country’s workers today. » With this warning, the Second Vice President and Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díaz, warned on Wednesday from the Congress of Deputies that her ministry was already acting against companies that “do not respect” the obligation to protect their employees against risks due to DANA. Concretely, the Labor Inspectorate has received around 80 complaints of commercial abuse in the Valencian Community.
These are formal complaints and communications sent to the anti-fraud mailbox of the public body that supervises the legality of work. In total, they compile “around 80 alleged irregularities in the Valencian Community”, in response to requests from elDiario.es to the Ministry of Labor.
Yolanda Díaz insisted on Thursday that the Labor Inspectorate “acts with force”. “It is very serious that companies are ready to endanger the lives of their workers for I don’t know for what purpose,” he denounced.
“It does not matter the size or strength of the company,” said the second vice president, who emphasized that the Ministry of Labor “has demonstrated that legality is respected in our country.”
Fines of up to one million euros
Companies have an obligation to protect workers against the risks they may face while carrying out their work, such as adverse weather phenomena like that of DANA which affect several regions of the country.
After the disaster of October 29, which left at least 216 dead in the Valencian Community, the National Meteorological Agency (AEMET) issued several red alerts this week, of “extreme risk” due to rain, in certain parts of Andalusia, Catalonia and the Valencian Community.
Faced with the red alert, Yolanda Díaz stressed that “you cannot go to work” if your health is in danger. The Ministry of Labor reminded businesses that they must suspend their activity or adapt it when it is not safe for their employees to travel to provide their services. And it sent a message to staff in the event of a lack of preventative measures in their workplace: “If your company is not respecting rights, report it.”
Fines for non-compliance with professional risk prevention measures are punishable “between 2,451 euros and 49,180 euros” in the event of serious offenses, while very serious offenses can reach nearly one million euros, with “between 49,181 and 983,736 euros,” they recall. .to the Ministry of Labor.
Clash with the Mazón government
This Thursday, the Ministry of Labor also accused the Generalitat Valenciana of having authorized the displacement of supermarket workers despite the triggering of the AEMET red alert. The government of Carlos Mazón included this “food distribution” activity among the “essential services” that could exempt the mobility restrictions decreed by the Comunitat itself.
Labor showed its “deep rejection” of this order of the Generalitat and stressed that it should not be applied, because state labor law must prevail. “No order can prevent respect for labor rights in our country. I want to be clear: no order from any public administration can counteract the rights established in Spanish legislation in articles 21 and 14. [de la Ley de Prevención de riesgos laborales]“, declared Yolanda Díaz, who announced an “interpretative order” on this subject.
“The Ministry of Labor regrets that the Generalitat ignores regulations for the prevention of occupational risks, assuming the risk that workers suffer harm by not complying with state regulations. Likewise, he emphasizes that at such a delicate moment, confusion is generated among citizens because they understand that it is private companies that distribute food when emergency services and the army are deployed in emergency situations. red and orange alert,” Díaz’s department said.
