The Labor Inspectorate, under the Ministry of Employment, Industry and Commerce of the Government of the Canary Islands and the Ministry of Labor, within the actions carried out in 2010 in order to achieve equality within the work environment, has carried out a total of 489 actions, 333 requirements and sanctioned 52 companies, intervening, among others, in favor of pregnant women who were dismissed or the implementation of equality plans in those companies that lacked them.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Employment, of the 489 actions, 158 of them were linked to the protection of motherhood. Added to these initiatives were a total of 92 for discrimination based on sex, 57 for sexual harassment, 51 for discrimination in access to employment, 52 on equality plans, 49 on rights regarding reconciliation of family and work life, 40 for discrimination in collective bargaining and 30 for discriminatory harassment based on sex.
The report presented by the Labor Inspectorate shows that in 2011 a total of 333 requirements were made, which maintained almost the same proportion, as the protection of pregnant women, discrimination based on sex and the right to reconcile family and work life led these measures. All these files concluded in a total of 52 infractions, 59.6 percent of which were related to the protection of pregnant women.
Thus, the report acknowledges that "the number of complaints from pregnant workers dismissed by the company during 2010 and 2011 has been considerable".
Although this is a matter of judicial competence, these complaints have been processed by the Labor Inspectorate, informing companies of the administrative responsibilities they may incur. This has allowed "on several occasions", that after the mediation of the Inspectorate, the pregnant workers were readmitted.
The Labor Inspectorate has also detected that analyzing the dates of maternity leave of these workers, and their working life, several cases of workers who had been dismissed from companies while pregnant have been detected.
Equality Plans
This administration has also maintained an intense campaign in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the requirement of compliance with the Equality Law of 2008. All companies with more than 250 people on staff based in Tenerife have been subject to inspection during 2008 where requirements were made and during 2009 the requirements were reiterated.
In 2010, all companies that still did not have an equality plan were sanctioned", according to the report in which it is recognized that of the 28 requirements made, 10 companies were finally sanctioned.
The report anticipates that the motherhood protection campaign has already begun this year with special attention to sectors such as nursing homes, veterinary clinics and health centers.
ACN
