Overview
- The Health Department coordinated a public campaign on temporary incapacity, with materials stating that Catalonia has 17% of Spain’s Social Security affiliates but 25% of sick leaves and urging citizens to make a “good use” of the benefit, which it stresses is a medical decision.
- UGT and CCOO call the campaign insulting and dangerous, warning it may deter ill workers from seeking care or push them to work while sick, and they formally demand that the posters be withdrawn.
- Employer group Pimec welcomes the initiative, labels current absenteeism unsustainable, and presses the Generalitat to shorten medical waiting lists to speed recoveries.
- The department says the campaign was designed for social channels, with some clinicians printing and posting it in CAPs; Health minister Olga Pané defends calling for proper use and notes Catalonia’s high volume of sick leaves.
- A new working group at the Consell de Relacions Laborals will examine rising temporary incapacity, as official data show roughly 962,000 workers off each week nationwide (about 4.3% of the employed) and the Bank of Spain estimates annual costs near €15 billion.