A working breakfast was held on Wednesday as part of a series, in the Costa Adeje Tourism Development Centre (CDTCA). The event, organised by the Human Resources association GEHOCAN in collaboration with Adeje Town Hall, was held to explain the new legislative changes in labour matters, with contributions by HR professionals and representatives from different relevant public administrations.
The opening of the meeting was attended by Mercedes Vargas Delgado, Adeje councillor for economic activity and employment, Montse Pereira, director at the Grupo Valora and member of the GEHOCAN board of directors, Jose Ramón Rodríguez, head of the labour department of the regional government, and José Miguel González Hernández, director of Corporación 5 Consultancy and moderator of the meeting.
Mercedes Vargas thanked GEHOCAN for inviting Adeje to collaborate in this tenth anniversary of the working breakfast, and defined the event as "a must for Human Resources professionals who want to learn about the new legislation and resolve any doubts that may arise as a result of these regulations". The councillor also stressed the need to promote events of this type, as they serve in "taking another step forward in the search for quality employment in Adeje, a municipality with one of the lowest unemployment figures in the Canary Islands".
For her part, Montse Pereira highlighted the work of those responsible for Human Resources when it comes to managing personnel, as well as the importance of continually adapting to new laws and regulations. She also stated that "the aim of the meeting is to share experiences and opinions in order to advance as professionals and thus improve the companies involved". She also thanked Adeje Town Hall for their participation.
The meeting began with the regional government representative Jose Ramón Rodríguez, who explained that the main objective of this body is welfare at work, for which, he stressed, it is important that companies guarantee the safety, equality and health of workers.
This was followed by the presentation on the application of new labour laws, given by Elena Otero, Provincial Director of the General Treasury of the department of social security in Santa Cruz. Information was given on the provision that obliges students who carry out unpaid internships to register with social security, as well as the duties that companies have when hiring employees of this kind.
Patricia González de Pedro, Senior Associate at PwC Spain, gave a summary of the recently approved regulations and explained the new permits and licenses, bonuses for hiring, pension system and new minimum wage, among other issues.
José Losada Quintas, partner at the Aguilar Abogados law firm, provided an analysis of the practical issues in recent case law. To explain these new developments, he presented several judgments as examples of actions taken in different cases.
Eduardo Lustonó Hernández dealt with the new regulatory framework in the unemployment protection system. He referenced the new groups that will be able to benefit from the single payment, the challenges posed by recent legislation and the new developments in the organisation and management of the SEPE (future Spanish Employment Agency), among other topics.
Finally, Francisco Guindin, Territorial Director of the Canary Islands Labour Inspectorate, explained that the aim of this body is to review the actions of companies and that the inspections serve as an incentive for them to improve.
The meeting ended with a question and answer session, in which several attendees were able to resolve their doubts, as well as share different points of view.
