New regulations aimed at curtailing discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity

Lener reviews in the newspaper Cinco Días the first legislation passed in Spain to curtail discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. This legislative step forwards, which aims to become a flagship norm in the struggle against employment discrimination the LGTBI+ collective faces, is grounded on an agreement between management bodies (CEOE and Cepyme) the trade unions (UGT and CC.OO.).

While Spanish legislation is forward thinking, doubts still persist as to its true impact on companies’ daily dealings. Carmen Galán Fernández, partner at Lener’s Employment Department, stated that although an "evident cultural advancement" can be noted in the entrepreneurial sphere, “action plans have not been forthcoming.” The Lener partner points out that the greatest concern entails “the terms to put the measures in place” rather than the “actual content”.

The new regulations develop technically the “Trans” Law passed last year and establishes specific obligations that companies must adhere to. Amongst these measures, companies which employ more than 50 workers must include equality and non-discrimination clauses in their collective agreements, alongside the conducting of courses to avoid bias in interviews and promotion processes, providing specific information to tackle LGTBI+ harassment, while devising protocols to prevent discrimination and measures to smoothly integrate transexual people.

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¿Es España punta de lanza de las leyes LGTBI+ en la Unión Europea? | Legal | Cinco Días (elpais.com)