Pimec demands that the State assume the cost of the "climate permit"
Employers are demanding changes to the Workers' Statute to prevent companies from solely bearing the costs of temporary absences.
BarcelonaIn response to the increase in extreme weather events, Pimec has called for an urgent review of the climate leave policy. This measure, recently incorporated into the Workers' Statute, allows employees to take up to four paid days off if commuting to work poses a risk. While the employers' association shares the priority of protecting people's safety, it considers it "unfair" that the financial burden should fall solely on the company.
![Construction workers on a facade, on Palai street in Barcelona.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 16 9"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The president of the organization, Antoni Cañete, has been emphatic: "Companies are not responsible for climate change and cannot bear the consequences of these exceptional situations alone." According to Pimec, the current regulations create an imbalance that threatens the viability of many businesses, especially after the experience of the DANA storm.
To address this injustice, the employers' association proposes a legislative amendment that establishes compensation or shared responsibility mechanisms. The goal is for these hours not to be paid directly by the company, but rather for formulas of public aid or risk-sharing to be sought. Furthermore, Pimec announced the immediate creation of a multi-sectoral working group. This technical team, made up of prevention experts and representatives from the productive sector, will draft a proposal for clearer and more realistic action protocols, adapted to the diversity of sectors and territories in Catalonia.
