Spanish Government recognises COVID-19 as occupational disease for some groups

Covid-19: The Spanish Council of Ministers approved a Royal Decree-Law containing actions in four areas which seek to reduce the gender gap and social inequalities, improve the situation of the most vulnerable groups and the cover for healthcare professionals.

The Spanish Government underlined that the new legislation approved on Tuesday (2 February 2021) recognises COVID-19 as an occupational disease for those healthcare and day-care workers that have caught the virus while exercising their profession.

The new legislation has been already published in BOE (Spanish Official Bulletin). Royal Decree Law 3/2021 (BOE 3 February 2021)

Another measures

In the same Royal-Decree Law (3/2021), the Minister for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, José Luis Escrivá, explained that the pension supplement tied into maternity and paternity replaces the current maternity supplement that women with two children receive. Its aim it to reduce the pension gender gap to 5%, which stands at around 30%.

José Luis Escrivá indicated that the gender gap arises after the birth of the first child, when the parent – women in 98% of cases – takes care of the child to the detriment of her professional career with the consequent loss of income.

The minister reported that the new supplement can be applied for by both men and women, provided that they can accredit that they have lost income. This may also be applied for as from the first child.

José Luis Escrivá specified that a fixed amount of 400 euros is established per child, and calculates that some 30,000 women will benefit this year from this supplement. By way of example, he indicated that a woman with two children and an average pension receives 5% more at present. With the new supplement, they will receive between 6% and 8% more.