BARCELONA – Spain’s first sex workers union on Friday asked for “the samelabour rights” for its members as other workers, criticising the Socialistgovernment for wanting to get rid of it.
“Us sex workers deserve the same labour rights as the rest of Spanishsociety,” Conxa Borrell, head of the OTRAS union, told reporters inBarcelona.
The press briefing came a day after Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who wantsto abolish prostitution altogether as does his executive, said the labourministry had launched proceedings to challenge the union’s existence incourt.
Borrell said this desire to abolish prostitution “hides moralism andvisceral hate towards sex workers”.
She stressed that for fellow sex workers, getting labour rights such as acontract, fixed salary, sick or maternity leave, holidays or retirement was”an utopia”.
The existence of the union left Sanchez red-faced on Thursday as not onlywas it registered by his own labour ministry, but it was published in theofficial state gazette on August 4.
The news only came to light on Thursday.
Sex work is tolerated in Spain — neither illegal nor regulated — butSanchez came to power in June with a strongly feminist agenda promising tofight the exploitation of women.
On Friday, government spokeswoman Isabel Celaa said “this government won’tin any way allow a sex workers union.”
Labour Minister Magdalena Valerio told reporters Thursday she was shockedby the fact such a union had been approved.
“As a minister and member of a feminist government, I would never havegiven the OK for this to be published in the official state gazette,” shesaid.
Valerio added this has been one of “the biggest” upsets in her life.
Sex work is tolerated in Spain — neither illegal nor regulated — but thegovernment of PM Pedro Sanchez came to power in June with a stronglyfeminist agenda promising to fight the exploitation of women. APP/AFP