Employees are being notified of an ‘obligation’ to compensate for time lost due to power outages by working overtime, as reported by those attending Sinttav services, stated the union in a communication.
Rejecting the legal legitimacy of this demand, Sinttav argued that under no circumstances should the ‘blackout’ serve as a pretext for penalizing workers and assured that appropriate actions would be taken with the relevant authorities.
The union emphasized that while the ‘blackout’ may have hindered operations in companies lacking alternative solutions, it should not justify mandatory free extra time to the normal work period.
According to the union, companies are misrepresenting legislation to justify this imposition, incorrectly applying certain provisions from the Labor Code that do not fit the context of the ‘blackout’.
Furthermore, Sinttav argued that the incident was not a catastrophe, nor did companies face a crisis or economic hardship, thus not meeting the criteria for implementing measures like ‘temporary closure and reduction of activity’ or ‘lay-off’ as claimed to employees.
“This is indeed opportunism,” Sinttav accused.
The union highlighted that Article 197 of the Labor Code considers time spent during work interruptions due to technical issues or power failures as work time, and violating this principle constitutes a serious offense punishable under the law.
“It is inadmissible for companies to distort the law to impose on workers the responsibility for an interruption over which they had no control,” it concluded.
On April 28, a widespread power cut left mainland Portugal, Spain, and Andorra mostly without electricity, while affecting parts of France as well. The blackout caused airport closures, transportation congestion, and fuel shortages.
The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity announced the formation of a committee to investigate the blackout causes, labeling it as “exceptional and severe,” which left Portugal and Spain in the dark.
