The Christmas conjures up images cheerful: the big Lottery, the celebrations, the Magi. And also the workers hauling baskets of Christmas at home, of various sizes, shapes and with meats ranging from the disposable to the luxurious. At the same time, there are payrolls that receive the relief of the extra pay of Christmas, that more than one out of a rush to face to the expenses of these dates.
The extra pay has its origin in the Spanish civil war. In Spain, devastated after the Civil War, the dictatorship decided to grant by decree an aguinaldo —consistent in the payment of a week’s salary— in 1944, so that workers could celebrate “with dignity” Christmas in a time of poverty. The initiative was institutionalized in 1945. Once that the Spanish economy started its sputtering recovery, the labour laws of the franco regime consolidated the paid extras in compensation. And survived the dictatorship, being incorporated in article 31 of the Statute of Workers in 1980, since arrival of Democracy. Now the rules state that are part of the annual salary of the worker, equal to a pay monthly, and not a gift by the employer.
Today it is customary to prorate the extras so that copper the same salary all year
there who will rethink whether it would be better that these payments were assessed —which can be done by agreement—, since they allow the worker to collect the same annual salary, but monthly payments higher. And, of step, to prevent common incidents such as failure to calculate the tax withholdings from these payments. Apportionments usually go for sectors, explains Gema Jiménez, director of the health and benefits business of Willis Towers Watson: “The industry, manufacturing and business with collective agreements strong prefer to keep the bonuses, while the services sector is opting more often for the apportionment”. Something that match Miriam Mertín, director of marketing and communications for Sodexo: “people prefer incentives more regular in their twelve pay that one at the end of the year or in the summer”.
And what happens with the baskets of Christmas? Are another custom of these feasts whose origin is not entirely clear, and is not limited to Spain, but that these gifts are distributed —with many variations— for all of Europe, or the anglo-saxon world, where it is known as boxing day. This tradition seems to go back to the Middle Ages, when noble families gave the service a free day for Christmas, and I give it the leftovers of the food to share with their families.
most gifted
According to a study by Infojobs, little more than a third of employed people in Spain receive Christmas hamper (35%). And are medium-sized companies that have the most gifts they make to their employees. 46.5% of the respondents who work in firms between 10 and 49 employees declared to have a christmas gift. While 39% of employees in firms with templates less than ten people receive a gift. Less lucky are those who are in companies with more than 50 workers. The large offering baskets to the 31% of employees, usually management or executives.
Mariano Zúñiga, head of communication and marketing of UP Spain, remember that in addition to baskets of christmas, the companies also offer their templates “dinners paid or lottery”, although he adds that they are not as popular as before. “Today we give away more and more things as chests of experiences, or gift cards”.
Gema Jiménez believes that the baskets are a thing of the past: “They are not as valued as before, the people prefer more flexibility or the value of the baskets in the money”. Although there are cases in which custom or the collective bargaining agreements require that you keep the christmas gift. “When the crisis came, some businesses have eliminated the baskets,” says Jiménez, adding that the unions took some of these cases to the courts, where companies were forced to replace the baskets (or their value) to the workers, given that the Supreme Court interprets that they are earned benefits that cannot be withdrawn unilaterally. Miriam Martin agrees that the meat christmas are in slow decline: “they Are a product of the low, they still exist but, in the end, the people prefer gifts such as a gift card”.
The companies engaged in the manufacture and sale of baskets and other Christmas gifts will ensure your billing is typically an indicator of the economic situation of Spain. And this holiday season they expect to charge a 20% more. Confirmed estimates by Antonio Gea, manager of the valencia Sadival: “The economic recovery and the good estimates business is perceived in the sector, especially after the creation of jobs in the country.” The English Court also provides for an 8% increase in the sale of baskets this year. “We have recovered a little bit,” says Alberto Gavilán, director of human resources, Adecco. “The baskets of Christmas represent the tradition, but people prefer the alternatives that are paid by its cost or that the company donate that money to an NGO,” he says.
Cash and cold, hard
In fact, the survey of Infojobs and the studies of Willis Towers Watson point in that direction. Close to 60% of the workers consulted prefer a extra income, whether the year-end bonus, a gift card and even a points program for them, they can choose gratification inside of a catalog, as occurs in some loyalty programs. So, according to your points, you may select from “experiences” such as dinners, gifts materials. Martin explains that, within the incentives that are offered, the related to the health and well-being are best fostered: “Today there are better alternatives to Christmas hamper, there are companies that offer to pay you the gym, for example, that it is something that benefits the worker during the year.”
“What is coming is a flexible brutal”, like Jiménez, who says that the new generations prefer benefits more and more personalized. “Because it’s not worth the coffee for everyone, the trend is to become online stores of social benefits”, it predicts.
The extra summer
If the franco regime gave the aguinaldo navideño, also wanted to celebrate their victory in the Civil War with the summer. Thus, in 1947 it was established that “to the staff of the activities are not regulated or where regulations do not set compensation for the 18 of July, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Work, will be paid on the business day immediately preceding such date, and to solemnize the same, a gratuity equivalent to the salary of a week,” according to the order signto by the then minister of Labor José Antonio Vegabet Girón de Velasco, known as “the lion of Fuengirola”. Once you input the Democracy, that extra pay was moved to the month of June and climbed to a monthly salary.
