2010 Spanish Labor Reform facts for kids

The Reform of Labor Laws in Spain was a big change to the rules about jobs and workers in Spain. It was approved by the Spanish Parliament on September 9, 2010.

This reform started as a special order from the government in June 2010. At that time, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero was the president. The new rules officially began on June 18, 2010. The Parliament later agreed to these changes. Most members of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party voted for it. Some smaller parties voted against it, and many others chose not to vote.

Later, a more detailed plan for these changes was discussed. It went through the Parliament and then the Senate. Some parts that helped workers were changed, but many of these changes were removed when the plan went back to the Parliament. The Parliament gave its final approval on September 9.

The new rules changed the special order from June 18. During the discussions, two main political groups, PSOE and PNV, agreed on the final plan. The PSOE voted for the plan, while the PNV did not vote. Other groups voted against it.

These changes caused a big protest, called a general strike, across Spain. About a month after the strike, one of the leaders of the protest, Valeriano Gómez, became the new Minister of Labor.

Key Changes in the Job Rules

Pausing Group Agreements

The new rules made it possible for bosses and workers to pause their group agreements. These agreements are like rulebooks for how a company or industry works. This change was meant to help companies save money during tough times. It allowed them to lower costs instead of firing people.

Working Less in Hard Times

The reform brought in a system where companies could reduce working hours. If a company was struggling, workers could work fewer hours. The government's unemployment system would then pay part of their lost wages. This idea was similar to a system used in Germany.

Personal Job Loss Fund

A new personal fund was created for workers. Money would be put into this fund for each year a person worked. This fund could be used by the worker if they lost their job. It could also be used to add to their pension when they retired.

Making Temporary Jobs Less Attractive

The reform made it harder to use many temporary job contracts in a row. If a worker had temporary contracts for three years, the company had to offer them a permanent job. The money paid to workers on temporary contracts if they were let go also increased. This helped close the gap between temporary and permanent jobs.

Lower Payments for Layoffs

The amount of money a company had to pay a worker if they were laid off was reduced. For permanent jobs started from 2011, this payment went from 45 days of pay per year worked to 33 days.

Government Help for Layoff Payments

A new system, inspired by Austria, was introduced. It aimed to lower the cost for companies when they laid off workers. At the same time, it tried to keep workers feeling secure in their jobs. The government suggested sharing some of the costs of these layoff payments.

Cheaper Layoffs for Struggling Companies

It became easier and cheaper for companies facing losses to lay off workers. If a company was losing money, they could pay less money to laid-off workers. Instead of the usual 45 days of pay per year worked, they could pay 20 days.

Firing for Too Many Absences

Under the new rules, a company could fire a worker for being absent too much. If a worker missed more than 20% of their workdays in a two-month period, and the company's overall absence rate was over 2.5%, they could be let go.

See also

In Spanish: Reforma laboral española de 2010 para niños