Sumar will defend this week in Congress a non-legislative proposal that demands that passenger cabin crew members be able to access early retirement under the same conditions as airline pilots, as they are exposed to the same labor and health risks derived from their activity.
Specifically, the multinational group plans to present this initiative in the Commission of Labor, Social Economy, Inclusion, Social Security, and Migrations, according to the agenda for Tuesday, September 22, which Europa Press has accessed.
The deputy from En Comú integrated into Sumar, Aina Vidal, considers that this professional collective, traditionally known as 'stewardesses', is suffering "discrimination" as they endure the same exposure to radiation, the same sudden changes in pressure, and the same sleep disturbances as pilots.
The latter have recognized reduction coefficients due to the inherent danger of their work. Thus, a pilot with a coefficient of 0.4 for each year contributed and with thirty years in that category can advance their retirement by twelve years and receive 100% of the pension.
Vidal recalls that, with the Air Navigation Law, a provision was incorporated to facilitate the recognition of early retirement for healthcare personnel who perform their work on aircraft. This measure, according to the deputy, has generated discomfort among the crew members, 70% of whom are women, as they have been claiming this right for "years" and have not been included in that specific channel.
Gender gap in access to early retirement
In the proposal, Sumar focuses on the existing gender gap in access to early retirement without cuts, emphasizing that among the groups that already have reduction coefficients, very male-dominated professions predominate, such as mining, railways, bullfighting professionals, public administration firefighters, radio operators, local police, or the regional police of Navarra.
"It does not seem like a coincidence that a large part of the groups that already enjoy reduction coefficients are for activities mainly carried out by men," states the text of the initiative, reported by Europa Press, which also demands to expedite "urgently" the review of the files of feminized groups that meet the requirements to access early retirement.
In this way, Sumar proposes to recover ex officio and re-contact the feminized professions that had already registered requests to obtain reducing coefficients according to the procedure established in 2011, and give them priority in the new system of recognition of early retirement that came into effect from 2025.
At the same time, the group urges to accelerate the processing of requests to apply reducing coefficients for the retirement age due to activity, provided for in Article 206 of the General Social Security Law (early retirement due to activity), in the case of those occupations predominantly performed by women.
Finally, the plurinational group demands that the Government raise a proposal to the European Council to review the European Directive on equal treatment between men and women, given that a ruling from the Court of Justice of the European Union in 2025 determined that the supplement to reduce the gender gap in pensions violates said directive on equal treatment.