{"id":12632,"date":"2026-04-27T13:09:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T13:09:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/12632\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T13:09:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T13:09:20","slug":"spain-to-close-bar-and-restaurant-terraces-during-heatwaves-threat-of-hefty-fines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/12632\/","title":{"rendered":"Spain to close bar and restaurant terraces during heatwaves: Threat of hefty fines"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Spanish hospitality sector is facing the summer with a far-reaching regulatory change. The recent amendment to the National Labour Agreement for the Hospitality Sector (ALEH) introduces climate as a key factor in the organisation of work, obliging bars and restaurants<\/a> to close their terraces<\/a> during periods of extreme heat<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This measure, driven by the trade unions FeSMC-UGT and CCOO Servicios alongside the employers\u2019 organisations Hosteler\u00eda de Espa\u00f1a and CEHAT, represents a step forward in protecting occupational health<\/a> in a sector particularly exposed to weather conditions.<\/p>\n

The ALEH is the main instrument regulating working conditions in the Spanish hospitality sector, addressing aspects such as job classification, training and collective bargaining. The update signed on 13 April responds to the need to modernise the sector in the face of challenges such as digitalisation, the evolution of tourism and the impact of climate change<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Key objectives include improving workers\u2019 skills, adapting professional categories and promoting higher-quality employment in an industry traditionally characterised by seasonal work. The major innovation of this reform is the incorporation of climate risks into Occupational Risk Prevention (ORP) plans. From now on, businesses must act in accordance with weather warnings issued by the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET).<\/p>\n

Specifically, when orange or red alerts are issued due to high temperatures, establishments will be obliged to reduce or suspend outdoor activities. This means that terraces must remain closed during periods of highest risk, although service inside the premises may continue. Furthermore, the new framework requires businesses to implement preventive measures, such as cooling systems or adjusted working hours, with the aim of minimising the impact of these restrictions.<\/p>\n

Failure to comply with these regulations may result in significant financial consequences. Forcing workers to carry out their duties in hazardous conditions, such as serving on terraces under a red alert without adequate protection, may result in fines exceeding \u20ac50,000 imposed by the Labour Inspectorate.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, the agreement strengthens worker protection, allowing employees to refuse tasks that pose a risk to their health without fear of reprisals. With this reform, Spain<\/a> is at the forefront of adapting the workplace to climate change. The hospitality sector, one of the country\u2019s economic pillars, is beginning to integrate climate management as an essential part of its operations. The challenge now will be to strike a balance between business profitability \u2014 particularly during the high season \u2014 and the effective protection of workers in a context of increasingly extreme temperatures.<\/p>\n

El Ni\u00f1o is forecast to return as early as May, which could bring above-normal temperatures to almost everywhere on Earth, according to a new report. El Ni\u00f1o<\/a> events occur every two to seven years as part of the El Ni\u00f1o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) natural climate cycle in the Pacific Ocean. The ENSO cycle flips between the warmer El Ni\u00f1o phase and the cooler La Ni\u00f1a phase, with neutral periods in between. El Ni\u00f1o periods bring elevated sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific, thereby weakening or reversing trade winds and strongly disrupting global temperatures and rainfall patterns<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In a Global Seasonal Climate Update<\/a> published April 21, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)<\/a> reported that El Ni\u00f1o is set to develop during the May to July season. Although the confidence of the prediction will improve after April, models currently suggest this El Ni\u00f1o could be a “strong event,” according to the WMO.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Spanish hospitality sector is facing the summer with a far-reaching regulatory change. The recent amendment to the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12633,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1254,7642,7637,1512,7638,373,7640,7643,598,605,599,7641,600,17,7636,7639],"class_list":["post-12632","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-spain","tag-balearics","tag-bar-terraces","tag-bars-and-restaurants","tag-climate-change","tag-extreme-heat","tag-health","tag-heat","tag-heatwaves","tag-holiday","tag-latest-headlines","tag-majorca","tag-majorca-weather-alert","tag-mallorca","tag-spain","tag-terraces","tag-workers-rights"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12632","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12632"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12632\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12632"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12632"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12632"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}