Spain gives workers paid ‘climate leave’

Nobody will have to work during extreme weather, Labor Minister Yolanda Diaz has declared

Spain’s left-wing government has passed legislation guaranteeing up to four paid days off for people who can’t travel to work due to “climate emergencies.” The law was passed less than a month after more than 200 people were killed in flash floods in Valencia.

The law was enacted on Friday, a day after it was approved by the country’s Council of Ministers, which is dominated by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s Socialist Workers' Party.

The paid days will apply when civil protection and meteorological organizations issue extreme weather warnings, Labor Minister Yolanda Diaz explained on Thursday, declaring that “no worker will have to run any risk.”

Should a weather emergency persist beyond four days, employers will be able to extend their workers’ “climate leave,” with the government covering their lost earnings.

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At least 229 people were killed last month when torrential downpours caused flash flooding that inundated several towns in Spain’s eastern province of Valencia. Locals have accused regional president Carlos Mazon of failing to issue an alert urging workers to stay at home on the day of the disaster.

Mazon has defied public anger and refused to resign, arguing that he was not notified of the seriousness of the situation by the government’s water monitoring body.

Sanchez and Spanish King Felipe VI have also been condemned by angry survivors of the tragedy, although in her speech on Thursday, Diaz attempted to pin as much of the blame as possible on Mazon, who is a member of the conservative People's Party.

“In the face of climate denialism from the right, the Spanish government is committed to green policies,” she said, before announcing additional economic aid for survivors of the disaster. To date, the government has approved €16.6 billion ($17.5 billion) in assistance for the region.