Isabelle Ferreras (Belgium, 1975) has been coordinating the Report on Democracy at Work. The text, recently presented by a high-level commission of experts under the Ministry of Labor, which she herself chaired, questions power structures in the workplace: "They are connected to the possibility of living in a democratic society," Ferreras reflects. The Belgian researcher speaks to ARA via video call, while the Ministry has begun negotiations with unions, but without employers' associations, to make progress on this issue.

The arrival of foreign workers has not only meant a boost for the Spanish and Catalan economies In recent years, the trend has shifted from a lack of immigrants to simply "easier" to enter more productive and better-paying jobs. The former are thus filling the positions that workers of origin do not want. This is confirmed by the research and analysis center Funcas in its report.Immigration in Spain: challenges, impact and policies Published this Thursday, the report estimates that foreign workers have contributed 47% to the growth of the Spanish economy since 2022. This means that almost half of the increase in gross domestic product (GDP, the indicator that measures the size of an economy) over the last five years can be attributed to the arrival of migrants. Funcas highlights that the foreign population residing in Spain has risen from marginal figures to become "an unavoidable structural component of Spanish demographics and the labor market." This is illustrated by the active population, which includes those who are working or actively seeking employment: since 2019, it has grown by 7.8%, equivalent to approximately 1.8 million new workers, almost all of whom are of foreign origin. "This is a supply shock unparalleled by the major European economies, which has boosted Spain's productive potential." Furthermore, "the sectoral and occupational bias of the foreign workforce has allowed for the growth of activities that were facing labor shortages," the study concludes.

Sick leave due to temporary incapacity (TI), that is, when a worker suffers an illness or accident that temporarily prevents them from performing their job, has skyrocketed since 2017. This has been confirmed by the Independent Authority for Fiscal Responsibility (AIReF) with the publication of a study on the evolution of social security coverage and its findings on this growth. Broadly speaking, from 2017 to 2024, sick leave due to temporary incapacity has increased by 60% in terms of incidence, while its duration has grown by an average of 15%, according to AIReF calculations. Specifically, the average duration of sick leave has increased from 40 days to 46, although in some conditions the increase has been even more pronounced: for mental health reasons, for example, it has risen from 67 days to 99. All of this has resulted in a tripling of spending: pensions. In 2024, these costs amounted to €16.5 billion for public coffers (between the 4th and 15th day of sick leave, the cost is shared with the company, and only from the 16th day onwards is it covered by Social Security), while in 2017 they amounted to €5.473 billion.

The cause of The death of the seasonal worker who died on Monday in Alcarràs while working harvesting fruit It was "acute cardiorespiratory failure in the context of heat stress." This is according to a preliminary forensic report obtained by the newspaper. SegreThe death of the 61-year-old worker from Lleida occurred between 4:24 p.m. and 4:50 p.m., according to this initial autopsy. On Monday, temperatures exceeded 40 degrees Celsius in the area.

The Spanish government's left-wing allies are making their move in the case known as "The Swiss Six." This Wednesday, ERC, Podemos, EH-Bildu, and the BNG (National Liberation Front) presented a non-legislative motion in the Congress of Deputies requesting that Pedro Sánchez's administration grant a pardon to the six Asturian trade unionists who voluntarily entered prison a week ago after the defense judge and the Prosecutor's Office suspended their sentences.

High temperatures and heat waves are added risk factors for many workers who are exposed, whether outdoors or indoors. Furthermore, these phenomena are becoming more frequent and intense due to the climate emergency. This increases the possibility of a worker suffering a work-related accident or of a pre-existing condition worsening. Cristina Fernández, General of the Labor and Social Security Inspectorate (ITSS), spoke at a press conference this Wednesday. According to union data, work-related accidents due to heat stroke, heatstroke, or extreme temperatures affected 224 people in 2024.

The unions CNT Barcelona, ​​CGT Catalunya, and Comisiones Obreras have called a strike at the various Mediapro companies responsible for broadcasting La Liga matches for the final three matchdays of the competition. Among the affected matches that could not be broadcast on television due to the strike is the derby between Espanyol and Barça, where the Catalans could emerge champions. The workers called to the strike are those responsible for the production, direction, and broadcasting of the matches, as well as the assembly, disassembly, and transport of audiovisual equipment.

I am misappropriating the famous title of Keynes's 1919 book, warning about how the impositions in Germany after the First World War would be impossible to comply with and would lead to a future crisis in Europe, to give you my point of view on the peace plan that Trump wanted to propose to Zelensky to stop the war in Ukraine.

Spain has taken another step towards making minimum wage 60% of the average wage. The Spanish government will approve an increase to minimum wage, which will go up to €14,000 per annum. It will be retroactive, starting from January 1. This places the State in seventh position within the European Union table of highest minimum wage and leaves Bulgaria and Latvia as the only two EU countries which, for now, have not increased minimum wage in 2022.

The erroneous vote of PP MP Alberto Casero, which allowed the labour law reform to be passed, left a bittersweet taste in Ministry of Labour ranks. Minister Yolanda Díaz sought the support of the parties that invested Pedro Sánchez until the last minute, in order to avoid relying on Ciudadanos. Now, however, another measure in labour matters can revive the mood within the ministry: a retroactive increase in minimum wage to €14,000 per annum (applicable from January 1).

"Tomorrow I would like to have dinner at my home in Galicia, but I will be wherever the negotiation sends me". This is how the Minister of Labour, Yolanda Díaz, summed up the state of the negotiations between the unions, business associations and the Spanish government on labour reform on Wednesday at midday. With the final text yet to be revealed, everything suggests that employers and unions will finally allow Díaz to head back to her homeland and do so with an agreement under her arm. Thus, the reform would come into force before December 31, as agreed with Brussels in exchange for the arrival of European funds.

The negotiations to increase minimum wage in 2021 have made little progress. In fact, they now run the risk of overlapping with negotiations on the extension of the furlough scheme (ERTE), for which there is already a date set: next Thursday. Given this scenario, unions, employers and the Spanish government want to prevent the tug of war over wage increases affecting other negotiations, such as the ERTE or the reform of the labour law, which will be discussed soon.

Morocco is a country that is geographically close and with which Catalonia has had important economic relations for a long time. At the same time, Catalonia hosts an important Moroccan immigrant community. Even so, we do not know many things about its harsh socio-economic reality. This Monday, floods in Tangier caused the death of at least 28 workers (19 women and 9 men) in an illegal textile workshop. The women, who worked underground, drowned, while the men were electrocuted when the water came into contact with the machinery. As already happened with the collapse of an illegal factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 2013, where more than 1,000 workers died, the accident has exposed the harsh reality of illegal textile workshops, where people work in unhealthy conditions for low wages, as if we were still in the England portrayed by Dickens.