Determined to end the “taboo” on menstruation, Spain’s leftist government on Tuesday presented a bill that establishes medical leave for women suffering from painful menstruationan unprecedented measure in Europe.
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“We are the first country in Europe to regulate for the first time a temporary disability paid in full by the State for painful and incapacitating rules”, congratulated the Minister for Equality, Irene Montero, at a press conference, at the end of the council of ministers.
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“The rule will stop being a taboo (…) No more going to work in pain, no more ‘taking pills’ (taking a lot of medicine) before going to work,” said the minister, who belongs to the radical left formation Podemos, a minority partner of the Socialists in the government of Pedro Sánchez, who claims to be a feminist.
How will the measure work?
Minister Montero had previously indicated on public television that this permit will not have a day limit.
The Spanish government proposes to give workers who are experiencing menstrual cramps all the time off they needaccording to the Los Angeles Times.
However, a preliminary version of the bill released last week by the media spoke of a three-day permit that could be extended up to five in the event of acute symptoms.
In the meantime, Social Security would pay for such leave, which must be certified by a health professional, just like any other temporary medical disability.
The text, which has sparked intense debate in recent days, must be approved by Parliament, where the government is a minority, to enter into force.
controversial measure
If it gets the green light from the deputies, Spain will become the first country in Europe, and one of the few in the world, like Japan, Indonesia or Zambia, to legislate on this matter.
“We are advancing in feminism. Women must be able to decide freely about their lives”celebrated Pedro Sánchez on Twitter, in reference to this bill that also reinforces the right to abortion in Spain.
In countries such as France, the United Kingdom or the United States, some companies already grant this menstrual permit to their employees, but it is not integrated into the law.
The measure, however, has raised reluctance even within the executive itself – in the socialist wing of the coalition – and in some unions.
“We cannot put the focus on women again,” Cristina Antoñanzas, deputy general secretary of the UGT (General Union of Workers), warned Friday on the Antena 3 network, expressing her fear of measures that “are going to discriminate or make it difficult our entry into the labor market”.
His vision is not shared, however, by Comisions Obreras (CCOO), the other major Spanish union, which considered the measure a “marked improvement” for “women with especially painful and disabling menstruation who did not always request or obtain leave.”
INTERNATIONAL WRITING
*With information from AFP.
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