The second vice president of the Government and Minister of Labor and Social Economy, Yolanda Díaz, reiterated this Thursday that she does not advocate for teleworking to be imposed by obligation and that this modality must remain a free choice for workers.
Díaz made these remarks in an interview on Onda Cero, reported by Europa Press, when questioned about a document that Brussels is considering approving shortly, which contemplates establishing one day of mandatory teleworking in order to reduce energy costs associated with the war in Iran.
"I am not in favor of forcing anyone to do anything. I believe that the criterion is voluntariness," emphasized the minister, who pointed out that Spain already has a Teleworking Law, born from an agreement in social dialogue, which allows Spanish companies to resort to remote work, but always on a voluntary basis.
The head of Labor also indicated that, "it is true that in all crises, such as in the management of the DANA and recent events, we always remember that teleworking, or remote work, is one of the measures," and added that many of the "recommendations" that Brussels is working on have already been implemented in Spain.
At the same time, she insisted that the effect of the war in Iran on the Spanish economy is not comparable to what "many of the other member states in Europe" are facing, which, in her opinion, partly explains the different situation between Spain and other EU partners regarding these types of proposals.