Ministry of Labour (Spain)

The Ministry of Labour and Social Economy (MITES) is the department of the Government of Spain responsible for designing and implementing the government policy on labour and labour relations, employment, unemployment benefits and self-employment, social economy and corporate social responsibility.

The Labour Department was created by prime minister Eduardo Dato in 1920, and has existed ever since. In addition to labour-related responsibilities, in the past it has also had, for most of its history, powers over social security and social protection, immigration and, occasionally, over health care, trade, industry and justice affairs.

Its headquarters have been located in the Nuevos Ministerios government complex since the 1960s, and it also has additional offices for certain agencies throughout the city of Madrid. In addition, it has regional and provincial offices across the country.

History

The idea of creating a ministerial department dedicated to labour issues arose during the reign of Alfonso XIII. This period was influenced by Krausism ideas, which, throughout the Restoration (1874–1931), contributed to social policies. Specifically, in Spain, the Institución Libre de Enseñanza (English: Free Institution of Teaching), created in 1876, was the first place where the "social question" was debated and it proposed the creation of various bodies aimed at addressing workers' problems and working conditions.

Thus, in 1883 the Commission on Social Reforms was created, which later became the Institute of Social Reforms in 1903. The latter's impetus led to the creation of other organizations such as the Labour Inspectorate in 1906 and the National Institute of Social Insurance in 1908. In parallel, Spanish legislation at the beginning of the 20th century began to delve deeper into these areas, with laws such as the Law on Workplace Accidents of 30 January 1900—the first law to address occupational risks and hold employers responsible for them—, the Law on Women and Children Labour of 13 March 1900, the Law on Sunday Rest of 3 March 1904, and the Law on the Right to Strike of 1909, among others.