- The bill will be sent directly to the Spanish Senate, which was unanimously approved by the Spanish Congress Working Committee. The project to set up the fund has come about thanks to an initiative that has emerged from the Basque Parliament and which aims to put an end to "injustice".
Because asbestos has been banned for more than 20 years, it continues to do a secret and murderous job, as it works with it and the cause lasts for many years. As a result, many workers are left unprotected, as the enterprises worked are closed or hand washed. Dealing with this situation is one of the main objectives of the Compensation Fund, recently approved in the Spanish Congress.
It was adopted unanimously in the Congress Working Committee on Wednesday, with the support of all political groups. Now, in 30 days, it will pass to the Senate, a mere formality, taking into account the support gained in Congress. "We are very pleased with the establishment of the fund, we will achieve justice at a level," explains Jesús Uzkudun Asviamie, member of the association of asbestos victims in the Basque Country, to Hamaika Telebista:
VIDEO |?? @OtherUzkudun, #ASVIAMIE: "We are very pleased with the constitution of the fund, we will achieve justice at one level"
? https://t.co/zvv7E7hHnw#GureanGaur #Asbestos pic.twitter.com/DJcsDz6f5t
— Hamaika Telebista (@Hamaika Tb) July 14, 2022
The victims of asbestos want to put an end to an "injustice" so far, as those who voted in favour in Congress have stressed. But not only the injustice of those who have worked with asbestos, but also of those who have been contaminated by cleaning clothes at home or have had contact with asbestos elsewhere.
The Fund will be managed by the Social Security and integrated into the Spanish State General Budgets, which this year will have EUR 25 million. To achieve this figure was important the agreement reached by EH Bildu with the political parties of the Spanish Government in November 2021.
Once the BOE has been published in the Official Gazette of Spain, they will have a period of 90 days for the development and implementation of the regulations.