A stool in the warehouse
The Labor Inspectorate opened a violation report against La Casa de las Carcasas for failing to provide a stool to a pregnant worker, forcing her to stand for long periods during the shift. El Periódico de España, reporting for the Prensa Ibérica group, notes that no measures were taken to allow breaks during work hours.
The case centers on safety and health regulations for pregnant workers and the penalties outlined in the Law on Violations and Sanctions of the Social Order (LISOS). Fines for such infractions range from 49,181 to 983,736 euros. The consultancy involved in the case indicates that the company disputes the amount of the fines and any funds identified in the decision.
Legal experts in labor law suggest the fine will likely start at 49,181 euros and could drop to 29,508 euros if the company acknowledges the fault and pays early. The inspector’s findings describe the La Casa de las Carcasas version as unclear, while labor sources emphasize that the inspection assumes the reported facts to be true unless proven otherwise.
A stool in the warehouse
The incident occurred last summer in Zaragoza. In late April 2022, a store at the Puerto Venecia shopping center reported a pregnancy among its workforce. Shortly after, the company requested a medical examination and subsequently exchanged documents detailing working conditions.
The resulting certificate indicated that the store’s location carried no immediate risk, yet the business implemented two adjustments: a stool with a footrest and a plan to reorganize tasks, enabling a pregnant employee to perform a split shift. Her contract was 36 hours a week.
Inspectors found the stool did not arrive until July 1, more than two months after the pregnancy was reported. The company explained the stool would be placed in a small warehouse behind the counter and not at the main workstation. The inspector concluded that if the worker needed to sit, she would have to go to that limited space, with no scheduled breaks allocated for it. The worker was required to stand for the entire workday.
According to the worker’s account, the company should have allowed her to sit as often as possible, and there was no resting area provided at work. Staff representatives recalled that a shipment arrived months late, and despite requests, there was no clear order to place it at the primary workstation. Legal manager Luis Huidobro and staff representative Claudia Olivares described a slower response and inconsistent implementation of the changes.
Ultimately, the worker entered a period of temporary suspension due to pregnancy-related risk on September 15, 2022.
“We are sending gifts to pregnant women”
Standing work is not new to La Casa de las Carcasas. The company has long used security cameras across stores to ensure compliance with protocols. A marketing employee noted that while cameras deter sitting, staff are expected to remain ready to serve customers, though attention to service quality remains a priority.
Ismael Villalobos, founder and CEO of La Casa de las Carcasas, expressed sadness about the Labor Inspectorate report in a written response. He emphasized that the company objects to the sanction and noted that hundreds of pregnant women pass through their stores annually, with gifts of congratulations offered in some instances. He added that women hold a strong presence in the company’s leadership structure, highlighting female representation in the chain of command.
According to the latest accounts filed by Carcamóvil SL, the operating entity of the brand, thirty women and eight men hold management roles, with women forming a large share of the workforce in stores. The company accepts a small salary gap of about 2 percent. In a later interview, Villalobos acknowledged past negative experiences with some store managers and indicated that the firm chose to recruit with a preference toward one gender, claiming it was intended to reflect the evolving corporate culture. He stated that the company’s leadership has shifted to prioritize inclusivity and diversity in later years.
Union action in Zaragoza
The stool incident triggered complaints and sanctions from the Labor Inspectorate, with workers in the Zaragoza area taking union action. Olivares, who had been managing the La Venecia store, described feeling humiliated and overworked under a supervisor. She joined a union and ultimately sought representation.
Following elections, she ran as a CGT candidate and won, prompting broader discussions among employees about shift patterns and workplace practices. The company operates more than 200 stores across Spain, and in Zaragoza the CGT established representation in collaboration with Workers’ Commissions in other regions. The CEO expressed regret at what he perceived as uneven relations with different unions.
The CGT filed several complaints, including concerns about incorrect contracts for workers recruited from different regions and contributions to social security. Later, a collective dispute questioned the appropriate collective agreement for the sector. The first-instance court sided with the company, though the union appealed. Union members complain of frequent changes to working hours, extensive oversight of staff, and pressure to drive sales. They describe a ten-step sales protocol that employees must follow with each customer, including identifying the model, case accessories, promotions of the week, related products, and loyalty programs. They claim that a mystery shopper evaluation can lead to the loss of commissions.
Alison Muñoz, a Chilean worker recently laid off from La Casa de las Carcasas, summarized the company’s revenue model in 2021 as 80 million euros in turnover and 12 million in profits. She described a highly feminized workforce, with many young women, immigrants dependent on work permits, new mothers, and students who experience constant schedule changes and part-time work. She argued that performance goals and commissions remained unfair and difficult to meet under the system.