[Spain] Government will fight unpaid overtime with new algorithm

Spain’s second vice-president and labour minister Yolanda Díaz announced on May 27 that “a new algorithm to control overtime from the Labour Inspection” will be created “in the next few days”. It is the government’s latest move to tackle unpaid overtime, The Local reports.

Spaniards worked 27 million extra hours per month or 6.6 million a week in the first quarter of 2022, according to the latest poll from Encuesta de Población Activa (EPA); 44 per cent of those overtime hours are not paid at all.

“This is unacceptable”, said Ms Díaz, who was attending a forum to discuss labour. She added that the figures were at their lowest since 2011 but said “I will not be content with this.”

In order to reduce this “excessive” number of unpaid hours, Ms Díaz said the government would use artificial intelligence but didn’t give further details on the algorithm, which is expected to be unveiled in the coming days.

Spain’s Worker Regulations state that extra work hours are voluntary except in the case of an emergency at work such as an accident or crisis. However, many Spanish employees feel they cannot oppose overtime because of concerns they may be fired.

In 2019, the Spanish government reportedly introduced new “clocking in” measures forcing companies to record the working hours of employees. The law was designed to “help correct the situation of precariousness, low salaries and poverty that affects many workers who suffer abuse in their working day,” according to the working of the decree.

The measure also aimed to uncover excess hours worked by those in the hospitality and construction sector, which is where exploitation is mostly concentrated.

At a forum on labour law in Valencia on May 27, Ms Díaz also spoke about the gender pay gap in this issue. While men are the majority of people working overtime, women make up a majority of those who are not paid for this extra work.

The labour minister also called for a redistribution of workers’ time in order to tackle the low productivity, which in Spain is the lowest in the European Union. 

Source: The Local

(Quotes via original reporting)

Spain’s second vice-president and labour minister Yolanda Díaz announced on May 27 that “a new algorithm to control overtime from the Labour Inspection” will be created “in the next few days”. It is the government’s latest move to tackle unpaid overtime, The Local reports.

Spaniards worked 27 million extra hours per month or 6.6 million a week in the first quarter of 2022, according to the latest poll from Encuesta de Población Activa (EPA); 44 per cent of those overtime hours are not paid at all.

“This is unacceptable”, said Ms Díaz, who was attending a forum to discuss labour. She added that the figures were at their lowest since 2011 but said “I will not be content with this.”

In order to reduce this “excessive” number of unpaid hours, Ms Díaz said the government would use artificial intelligence but didn’t give further details on the algorithm, which is expected to be unveiled in the coming days.

Spain’s Worker Regulations state that extra work hours are voluntary except in the case of an emergency at work such as an accident or crisis. However, many Spanish employees feel they cannot oppose overtime because of concerns they may be fired.

In 2019, the Spanish government reportedly introduced new “clocking in” measures forcing companies to record the working hours of employees. The law was designed to “help correct the situation of precariousness, low salaries and poverty that affects many workers who suffer abuse in their working day,” according to the working of the decree.

The measure also aimed to uncover excess hours worked by those in the hospitality and construction sector, which is where exploitation is mostly concentrated.

At a forum on labour law in Valencia on May 27, Ms Díaz also spoke about the gender pay gap in this issue. While men are the majority of people working overtime, women make up a majority of those who are not paid for this extra work.

The labour minister also called for a redistribution of workers’ time in order to tackle the low productivity, which in Spain is the lowest in the European Union. 

Source: The Local

(Quotes via original reporting)