The Second Vice-President and Minister of Labour, Yolanda Díaz, reminded this Saturday on her personal Bluesky social media account that those people who cannot access or travel to their workplace due to fires such as those in Ávila and Madrid are entitled to four days of paid leave, as stated in the Workers’ Statute. This climate leave was approved by Royal Decree in November 2024 after the tragic DANA that Valencia suffered in October of that year, which ended the lives of 229 people and devastated a large part of the productive fabric of the area.
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This leave also covers those who have suffered the loss or disappearance of a family member, as well as those who have to stay to care for them due to the closure of educational centers or residences. In turn, “companies whose facilities or activity have been affected may avail themselves of employment maintenance mechanisms, including ERTE [Temporary Employment Regulation Files] due to force majeure provided for in the labor reform,” said the Vice-President of the Government.
I want to remind all people affected by the fires in the different autonomous communities that, from the Ministry of Labour and Social Economy, we have activated all the labour protection mechanisms foreseen for these situations.
— Yolanda Díaz (@yolandadiaz.bsky.social) July 25, 2026 at 14:02
The Royal Decree also includes the obligation for agreements to include an action protocol with risk prevention measures specifically referring to action against natural disasters, as indicated by the Comisiones Obreras (CC OO) union in an informative document. After the four days of climate work leave, the Workers’ Statute states that “the leave will be extended until the circumstances that justified it disappear, without prejudice to the company’s possibility of applying a suspension of the employment contract or a reduction of working hours derived from force majeure in the terms provided for in article 47.6“.
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CC OO also reminds that the company will have to appoint a person in charge of receiving applications for climate leave, who must be operational 24 hours a day to respond to applications, which will have to be communicated as soon as possible. The company must create “a crisis committee,” according to this union, to analyze the situation and determine whether the activity should be paralyzed or not, as well as to allow the absence of people affected by travel limitations. In addition, in activities where it is possible, the company can enable teleworking if it provides its employees with the necessary tools.
“From the Ministry of Labour, we are in permanent contact with social agents and regional authorities to address the situation and ensure that the productive fabric and workers are protected in this situation,” added Díaz, who stressed that “climate change demands more prevention, preparation, and coordination from all administrations.”
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