The Labour Inspectorate has detected more than 1,250 infringements in 2021-2022, which have generated a proposed penalty of 3.1 million euros

Dec 19, 2022 | Current affairs, Featured, Thursday Daily Bulletin, Tradition

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\ For the first time, a campaign dedicated to monitoring adverse conditions of temperature and humidity is scheduled, with 150 actions.

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The Labour and Social Security Inspectorate has closed the 2021-22 campaign in the Balearic Islands with a total of 1,258 infringements detected in the 18,346 actions it has carried out this year, 1,888 more than initially programmed. This action has generated a proposed sanction of 3,093,000 euros, 37% more than the previous year, which directly benefits more than 10,500 workers.

This is one of the main results explained by the Minister of Economic Model, Tourism and Labour, Iago Negueruela, after today’s meeting of the Tripartite Commission of Labour Inspection, in which the state body itself, the Government and representatives of the most representative economic and social agents of the Islands participate. Negueruela presented the figures together with the Director General of Labour and Occupational Health, Virginia Abraham, and the Director of IBASSAL, Rubén Castro.

One of the main aspects highlighted is that the 2021-22 campaign has already overcome the difficulties that arose with COVID-19, and results have been achieved above those of 2019. In this context, 505 infringements have been detected in working times, which have generated a proposed sanction of 540,000 euros and have benefited 3,807 workers.

In addition, the inspection work has led to the recovery, during the 2021-2022 academic year, of a total of 1,051,450 euros in salaries, more than double that of last year, which has improved the situation of 3,807 workers with an increase in their salary payments thanks to the regularisation of their pay slips. Also, 35 infringement proceedings were opened as a result of wage controls, leading to a proposed penalty of 177,026 euros.

Another highlight was the detection of 719 irregular part-time working days, which were extended, benefiting the same number of workers.

In terms of temporary employment, 3,384 temporary contracts were converted into permanent contracts, out of a total of 9,420 reviews, which means that almost 1 out of every 3 contracts reviewed were in breach of the law. Likewise, 47 infringements have been detected which have generated a proposal of 47,500 euros.

Planning 2022-2023

The regional planning of the Labour and Social Security Inspectorate, approved by the Tripartite, will focus on improving the quality of employment and on influencing occupational health and safety prevention.

Thus, 9,442 regional service orders have been planned, representing almost half of the Labour Inspection planning in the Balearic Islands; this represents an increase of 22% over the previous year’s planning. Specifically, the focus is on employment and labour relations (4,721 actions) and occupational risk prevention (another 4,721).

The main actions will include a reinforcement of the control of bias, with an increase of 200 actions over last year’s, reaching 360 service orders, an increase of 125%. Inspections for temporary employment will also be maintained, with 1,000 more actions.

For the first time, special emphasis is being placed on monitoring the hiring of permanent, discontinuous staff, with greater control of part-time contracts, as well as on verifying that they really are permanent, discontinuous contracts and are not concealing ordinary permanent contracts.

Working time surveillance also began to increase, by 22.2%, from 1,465 actions to 1,790 for the 2022-23 campaign; this is the second year in a row. Working time actions will serve to increase control of possible excess working hours and overtime in companies.

In the area of equality and non-discrimination between women and men, various actions are carried out. On the one hand, the campaign against wage discrimination has been extended, with 433 actions, which represents an increase of 64% compared to the previous campaign; of these, 183 are to combat the wage gap between women and men.

In addition, more campaigns on equality between women and men have been programmed, thus fulfilling the commitment made in the 2022-25 Workplace Equality Plan. For 2022-23, 388 actions have been planned, representing an increase of 12.1% over the previous year, with special attention to compliance with the regulations on equality plans (130 actions).

And in the area of occupational health and safety, efforts were once again redoubled: on the one hand, a new campaign was launched to monitor adverse temperature and humidity conditions, with 150 actions, which aims to prevent the risks arising from the exposure of workers to adverse environmental conditions of temperature and humidity, especially when they could become extreme.

Actions on material safety conditions in the workplace are increased by 40%, with a special emphasis on the construction sector. Thus, 3,679 actions have been programmed, of which 1,510 are aimed at monitoring conditions in construction.

Finally, the Labour Inspectorate will continue to monitor musculoskeletal risks, with a 55.7% increase in the number of actions, reaching 623; of these, 403 are included in a specific campaign for chambermaids.