Feijóo's 'cancer' remark on sick leave ignites political firestorm in Spain

Feijóo's remarks

Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the opposition Partido Popular, told a Basque business audience on Tuesday that absenteeism is "a cancer" and questioned whether workers on sick leave should receive full pay. "Spain cannot afford almost 1.2 million people missing work every day," he said, adding that "if someone doesn't go to work and earns the same, what happens happens." He also called for a labor reform "with or without agreement."

Government and union backlash

The comments drew immediate condemnation from the left-wing coalition government and trade unions. Second Vice President and Labour Minister Yolanda Díaz said Feijóo's words "disqualify him from governing Spain" and called him an "economic radical." She described the cancer comparison as "brutally unfortunate," noting that cancer patients are victims of healthcare waiting lists.

It is very serious what he is stating these days without blushing.

Unai Sordo, general secretary of the CCOO union, accused Feijóo of "demonization of the working class" and of seeking to cut the rights of sick people. He argued that part of Spain's economic elite fears full employment because it would boost workers' bargaining power. Consumer Affairs Minister Pablo Bustinduy said Feijóo's "aggressive" threat reveals a political project aimed at "questioning fundamental rights and freedoms."

Catalan president Salvador Illa warned of a "real risk of regression" if the PP governs, asking how someone who aspires to lead can call sick leave a cancer. Transport Minister Óscar Puente turned the row into a viral moment with a series of sarcastic tweets, coining the term "absentismo capilar" (hair transplant absenteeism) in a jab at a recent PP internal incident.

PP defends and clarifies

Within the PP, reactions ranged from full-throated defense to calls for caution. Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso said Feijóo is "more right than a saint," insisting he was not referring to genuinely ill people but to fraud. She accused the government of "communism" and of legislating to make hiring suspicious.

National spokesman Borja Sémper, who returned to work in May after nearly 10 months of cancer treatment, urged "caution when making certain comparisons." He said a sick leave "is not a caprice" and that reducing pay for illness would add to the drama. However, he acknowledged a "problem of absenteeism" costing €33 billion, up from €14 billion in 2018, and called for a "serious and unprejudiced debate."

We cannot add to the problem and drama of having to take sick leave by also reducing the salary.

Deputy secretary Juan Bravo clarified that Feijóo's focus was on fraud, arguing that if fraud exists, workers should not receive 100% pay. He admitted the party may not have explained the proposal well.

Anniversary backdrop

The political storm unfolded as Barcelona hosted the 50th anniversary of the last clandestine assembly of the CCOO union, held on 11 July 1976 in the Sant Medir church with over 600 delegates. Díaz, Illa, and Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni attended the commemoration, where speakers linked the fight against Franco-era repression to today's defense of labor rights.

The numbers

The debate has spotlighted Spain's absenteeism figures. According to PP data cited by Sémper, the financial cost has risen from €14 billion in 2018 to €33 billion in 2026. Feijóo claimed 1.2 million workers are absent daily. The government and unions counter that the vast majority of sick leaves are justified and that the real issue is underinvestment in public health.