The Spanish government accelerates the annulment of ERTE for companies who have taken advantage during the Coronavirus crisis

The Spanish government accelerates the annulment of ERTE for companies who have taken advantage during the Coronavirus crisis

SPAIN’S government is tightening the approvals of the temporary employment regulation files (ERTE) due to force majeure presented by many companies that are suffering the impact of the economic slowdown derived from Covid-19. According to official sources, the Ministry of Labour has overturned the employment adjustments presented by companies such as Financiera El Corte Inglés and Óptica 2000 and has raised many objections to those formalised by telephone service companies.

Yolanda Díaz, Minister of Labour, has already warned that the Executive will analyse in detail all the ERTEs requested by companies to avoid those taking advantage of the crisis and the forced closure of many businesses, using the protection mechanism provided by the government to deflect the damage derived from the coronavirus.

Despite the ERTE avalanche, nearly 450,000 have been attended to, with 3.10 million workers affected, the inspectors have looked at those of the largest workforce and those of the sectors that could continue totally or partially with your activity.

The first to be rejected was Burger King, who was one of the first to implement this system to save on payroll and who forced 1,700 people to reimburse. Now, according to official sources, Work has put back the ERTE de Óptica 2000, the chain of opticians previously owned by El Corte Inglés. The staff amounts to about 800 people, divided between the central services and the 106 available stores.

Following the government’s refusal, which authorised the opticians to remain open, the Dutch company has started negotiations with the unions to apply the employment adjustment, but, instead of due to force majeure, for productive reasons. That is, by how the closing of the stores it has in shopping centres will affect the chain’s total sales for the year as a whole.

Something similar has happened in Financiera El Corte Inglés, a company shared almost halfway between the department store group and Banco Santander. Labour has also not authorised ERTE for the 290 employees, considering that it is a permitted activity, like others who offer financial services.