Fijo discontinuo employees guaranteed unemployment benefit

Fijo discontinuo contracts are common for the tourism and hospitality sectors. | Europa Press

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma24/03/2020 09:09

Employees with fijo discontinuo contracts who had not been called back to work by their employers will receive unemployment benefit if the employer has submitted an ERTE for temporary layoff of staff.

President Armengol said in parliament on Monday that the Spanish government had responded to a Balearics request to ensure that benefit is paid.

According to figures from the regional employment ministry, 15,774 employees with these contracts were in active employment over the first two months of this year. As the total number of employees with fijo discontinuo contracts was 93,791 in August last year, there would have been some 78,000 employees waiting to be called back. If they hadn't been, they will now be entitled to benefit, as will those who have been laid off.

While unions have welcomed this development, they consider that coverage for ninety days of unemployment to be insufficient.