Afra Blanco stands up to a businessman on 'laSexta Xplica' for questioning medical leave: "It's an outrage"

The debate on absenteeism at work reignited this weekend on laSexta Xplica. Following the controversy generated by recent statements by Alberto Núñez Feijóo, who called absenteeism a "cancer" for the economy, the program brought together representatives of different positions to analyze the situation. One of the most tense moments of the night starred unionist Afra Blanco and businessman David Canales.

During his intervention, Canales maintained that in Spain "getting a sick leave is tremendously easy" and assured that there is "a very great trickery", even stating that some workers resort to "little tricks" to obtain temporary incapacities and absent themselves from their jobs. These words provoked the immediate reaction of Afra Blanco.

The unionist interrupted the businessman to reproach him for his statements. "It's an outrage", she replied, reminding him that medical leaves are granted by healthcare professionals after evaluating each case. "When you say that, you are questioning the doctors and professionals who sign those leaves", she pointed out, rejecting the generalization about an alleged fraud in the system.

The confrontation continued when Canales recounted the case of an employee who remained 16 months on sick leave, regretting that he never knew the reason for her incapacity and defending that, if the company cannot access that information, "it does not have to pay for it". Afra Blanco then reminded him that medical confidentiality is a protected right and that the employer does not have to know the diagnosis of a worker. Furthermore, she urged him to resort to the legal tools provided in article 20 of the Workers' Statute if he suspects there is fraud, thus dismantling the argument that companies lack mechanisms to act.

The rule allows the employer to check the worker's health status through medical examinations when these are necessary to justify absences, always respecting the right to privacy, the confidentiality of health data, and the dignity of the person. If the employee refuses to undergo these checks, the company can suspend the economic rights under its responsibility derived from temporary disability.

The unionist insisted that legislation already provides for control mechanisms when there are well-founded suspicions of fraud, always within the respect for workers' rights, thus dismantling the discourse that employers are helpless victims of the medical leave system.