Moncloa warns that indications based on "scientific evidence" must be followed, which are those handled by the Ministry of Health.
Less than a day after Labor published a guide authorizing workers to leave their jobs if there is a "serious, imminent and inevitable risk" of contagion, the Secretary of State for Communication (SEC) has issued a message in which he emphasizes that the Government follows the instructions of the Ministry of Health, based on "scientific evidence." Labor sources have clarified that the SEC had full knowledge of the guide, since since last Tuesday it had access to a draft, an issue on which Moncloa has not wanted to comment.
"In Spain, the entire government follows the specific instructions of the Ministry of Health, which are based on constant monitoring of the situation, information transparency, decision-making in accordance with scientific evidence and total coordination between the different State administrations," indicates the text.
This clarification on what instructions the Government follows with respect to the coronavirus comes not one day after this Wednesday afternoon the Ministry of Labor published a guide to preventing occupational risks associated with the coronavirus in which it indicated that the worker can paralyze his work. activity or leave "immediately" their job in the face of a "serious, immediate and imminent risk" of contagion.
The guide warns that to make this decision, which would lead the company to authorize teleworking or even declare an ERTE, "reliable facts" should be given, about which it does not provide any other clarification.
These indications have provoked criticism among unions and businessmen beyond evidencing the discrepancies within the coalition government that the partners deny.
Instructions from the Ministry of Labor
For her part, the Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díaz, indicated this morning that the guide is only a "transcription" of the rules that are in the current regulations and has asked for "calm to all Spaniards", urging them to avoid causing alarm. because the issue "is controlled."
The department led by Díaz has not taken as a correction the clarification made this Thursday by the SEC that only Health instructions are valid. On the contrary, there they assure that at all times there has been coordination between the Secretary of State and the Ministry. As they explain, last Tuesday the Government spokesperson, María Jesús Montero, made reference to a preparation plan for companies in the press conference after the Council of Ministers. By then, Labor had already provided a draft. This morning, before the SEC issued its clarification, there was also a new communication with Díaz's ministry.
Labor has thus tried this Thursday to reduce the controversy over its guide, which neither unions nor businessmen have liked. The Ministry defends it because the companies were demanding that the Government be prepared for any circumstance. For this reason, a compilation was made of the current regulations for these cases, if the circumstance arose that these measures had to be applied, although Labor emphasizes that right now the circumstances do not exist for this. In that case, it would be the Ministry of Health that would stipulate it and it would be necessary for the Government to approve the health emergency, something that they remember has not only not happened in Spain, but also in Italy, where the presence of the coronavirus is even greater.
Unions and employers
Before the SEC's message, unions and employers have shown their disagreement with some Labor instructions that have not been agreed upon with them. For its part, the PP will request the appearance in Congress of the first vice president of the Government, Carmen Calvo, to explain the measures that are being taken regarding the coronavirus.
For CCOO and UGT, all the circumstances that may surround a coronavirus outbreak in a company are not taken into account and they requested a meeting in Labor, also with the CEOE.
The president of this business organization, Antonio Garamendi, criticized the Labor guide even more intensely this Thursday in a radio interview in which he also cited the Ministry of Health to say that the Labor recommendations do not correspond to what the health authorities do.
"We find it incredible that it is practically said that a worker can decide that the company is closed," said Garamendi.
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