A new session of the Social and Participation Council was held at the Institut Guttmann Neurorehabilitation Hospital. This Council serves as a space for dialogue and reflection among representatives of organizations, professionals, and service users linked to the Foundation.

This thematic session focused on “The compatibility between pensions and employment”, a highly topical issue following the recent ruling of the Spanish Supreme Court on April 11th, 2024. The Court established the incompatibility between receiving a permanent absolute or severe disability pension and engaging in paid employment. Until now, the Court’s own doctrine (in force since 2008) had allowed beneficiaries to combine the pension with any remunerated work, thereby promoting the labour inclusion of people with disabilities. This new jurisprudence represents a major change and a significant social setback, as it restricts the opportunities for labour and economic participation of this group.

During the session, experts Ricardo Esteban, Professor of Labour Law and Dean of the Faculty of Law at the UAB; Miguel Arenas, lawyer and lecturer in Law and Political Science at the UOC; Antonio Reyes, President of Aspaym Catalunya; and Montse Font, President of ASEM Catalunya, analysed the legal and social implications of the ruling. The discussion that followed among the Council members highlighted the need to adapt the legal framework to guarantee genuine labour inclusion. Participants also addressed the real challenges faced by people with disabilities when re-entering the labour market.

The meeting reaffirmed the importance of continuing to reflect upon and influence public policies to ensure that employment and social participation remain compatible with the economic rights of people with disabilities, in line with the mission of the Fundació Institut Guttmann and the principles upheld by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2006 and ratified by Spain in 2008.