Thursday, March 28

Labor will “immediately” launch an “algorithm” to detect fraudulent overtime


The Second Vice President of the Government and Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díaz, announced this Thursday that her department is going to “immediately” apply a new “algorithm” to control the “fraudulent use” of overtime in Spanish companies. This is a problem evidenced in the latest Active Population Survey (EPA) which, as Díaz recalled, reflected that in Spain 6.6 million overtime hours are recorded per day and 27 million per month.

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During his appearance before the Labor Commission of the Congress of Deputies, Díaz recognized that “time at work” is “one of the most complex matters since the 19th century in the world in labor law.” The minister has announced that Labor is drafting a law that aims to “advance the debate on reducing working time.” The reduction of the working day, she has said, is necessary “for reasons of productivity”. “It has been widely studied that the extension of the working day decreases productivity,” she pointed out.

But, in addition, Díaz has announced that his department is “designing a public algorithm that will be applied immediately to address the fraudulent use of overtime.” Díaz has considered that the current figures for overtime are “absolutely unacceptable”, for which he has defended the need for this new regulation for which he has not set a specific date.

The vice president explained that “the algorithm is going to be applied in the logic of technology at the service of the defense of workers” so that “with a simple click” the Ministry of Labor will be able to “control fraud” in terms of hours extra. Díaz has also lamented that in terms of overtime “there is a gender bias”, because despite the fact that “men do a little more” overtime “it is women who are not compensated.”

“Modern and negotiated formulas”

As for the new law, Díaz has assured that “it is going to raise the working day in the sense of the Nordic countries.” There will thus be “modern formulas, negotiated with the company”, which will also contemplate “training absences” abroad without the worker seeing his labor rights affected.

Previously, the second vice president had celebrated the employment figures offered this morning by her department and considered that “161 months have had to pass and four ministers and ministers [de Trabajo] to give the unemployment figure” known today. “It had been 14 years since Spain had this unemployment figure and, therefore, being aware that much remains to be done, this figure is of enormous importance for our country”, he assured, in statements to the press, in the Congress of the deputies.

Díaz recalled that in February 2021 he had to give “the worst unemployment figure” of his life and that today he can “give a very good figure for the country”, for which he has shown his “satisfaction for those families who see improved their lives”. “We only have 199,000 young people unemployed. It is another historical figure in Spain”, he highlighted, as well as emphasizing that “unemployment is not only moving in another direction, but that the hiring is of quality for the first time”.

The vice president has also emphasized that there is a record reduction in unemployment for women. “Much remains to be done but the policies we are deploying show their effectiveness”, she stressed. The vice president, in addition, has considered an “aberration” the statements made by the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, about the strike, when he has questioned the good employment data.



www.eldiario.es