Spain to extend bereavement leave to 10 days
Yolanda Díaz, Spain’s Minister of Labour and Second Deputy Prime Minister, has announced a major change to the country’s employment laws: extending bereavement leave to up to ten days and introducing a new right to take time off to care for seriously ill family members.
The proposal aims to update the current system, which only allows two days of leave after the death of a close relative. “Nobody can function properly at work two days after losing a parent, a child, or someone they love. Nobody can,” Díaz said.
More time for families
Under current rules, workers in Spain are entitled to two days of paid leave following the death of a close relative (parents, children, siblings, grandparents, or grandchildren), or up to four days if travel is involved. The new law will extend this to a maximum of ten days in cases involving direct family members.
The change will focus mainly on close blood relatives, though it may also apply in some cases to other family relationships. Díaz said the move responds to what she described as a “longstanding and necessary demand” from workers.
New palliative care leave
The reform will also include a separate right to take leave to provide palliative care for relatives. According to Díaz, the proposal has already been drafted and discussed within the government, but further details are expected soon.
“I want employers to welcome this step,” she added, noting that she has not yet discussed the reform with Antonio Garamendi, president of CEOE (Spain’s main employers’ association).
“This is not absenteeism — it’s a right”
Díaz has also insisted that taking time off after losing a loved one is a legal right, not an abuse of the system.
“Someone who buries their mother or stays home to care for their child is not an absentee,” she said.
She added that while unauthorised time off is a real issue in Spain, it shouldn’t be confused with legitimate workers’ rights. She also pointed out that improving working conditions, including giving people more time to grieve or care for relatives, is key to boosting productivity and supporting mental health.
“We can’t keep measuring progress in hours of exhaustion,” Díaz said. “We need to measure it in time, dignity, and well-being.”
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