Overview
- The Ministry of Inclusion and Social Security announced an immediate, permanent Observatorio Estatal de la Incapacidad Temporal with participation from Social Security, the Health Ministry, unions and employers.
- The observatory will track trends and bottlenecks in managing temporary incapacity and channel findings into the social-dialogue table to inform potential management changes.
- Officials pledged to resend revised proposals first floated in October, including “altas progresivas” that would allow some long-term cases to return to work on a reduced schedule after medical clearance.
- Airef data underpin the push, noting a 60% rise in incidence since 2017 and 8.6 million sick-leave notifications in 2024, alongside a tripling of spending on temporary incapacity.
- Positions remain polarized: employers seek greater authority for mutuas, including the ability to grant medical discharge and incentive clauses in collective bargaining, while unions oppose expanding private powers and propose integrating mutuas under state control.