The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

The inertia of agreements, bankrupt

2022-05-23T03:46:39.894Z


The income agreement presents itself with serious difficulties due to the abysmal differences between unions and employers


The general secretary of the General Union of Workers (UGT), Pepe Álvarez (left) and the general secretary of the Workers' Commissions (CCOO), Unai Sordo. Europa Press

The Government cannot intervene in the agreements but it can in the taxation of companies to cover a fund for the vulnerable.

The trade union centrals will reach out, but without allowing other actors to take away their representation.

Eliminate from the political and socioeconomic language the expression "rent agreement".

There won't be.

Not so long ago, on March 2, the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, gravely proposed the need to reach a “national plan to respond to the impact of the war” and promote a “revenue pact”.

The former is underway, despite the serious difficulties it has had to go through in Congress.

Nothing on the table, however, of the income agreement in the face of the abysmal differences between unions and employers.

The Government already knows that there is nothing to do;

the second vice president, Yolanda Díaz, maintains that she has never been at the negotiating table.

The announcement was made by the president in Congress.

The next thing will be the pressure of the unions for the Executive to act through fiscal means and raise the corporate tax.

Still no alarmism,

the trade union centrals are preparing national concentrations of their delegates to accompany the negotiation of the agreements one by one, once the global collective bargaining has failed.

In the hypothesis of disagreement enters the call for strikes.

The inertia of agreements from the bottom up has been broken.

Due to many attempts by the Government, especially the Minister of Labor, to pull the social agreement car, it does not seem possible.

The unleashed inflation deteriorates the cheerful discourse of the Executive on the creation of jobs.

This rise in prices without wage increases is the workhorse of the unions, with the understanding of the Government and the rejection of the employers.

The swords are high with the union demand for a rise of 3.5% and, above all, a salary review clause at the end of the year.

Stability and balance for workers and businessmen, are the repeated slogans that get nowhere.

"If this happened with a PP government, the unions would have already called several strikes."

This prediction is reiterated in conservative circles but is rejected by the Executive, which responds by exhibiting the agreements reached between the social agents with little or no support from the parliamentary right.

This satisfactory situation has put an end to the new evils brought by the war in Ukraine, which has aggravated inflation and energy problems.

The unions, with Unai Sordo and Pepe Álvarez at the head of CC OO and UGT, assure that they want agreements and not conflicts, so they will still do their best to "attract the CEOE to more balanced positions", union interlocutors point out.

But there will be warnings, warnings and a demonstration of union muscle.

Before the end of June there will be two large mobilizations in front of the headquarters of the territorial business organizations throughout Spain to push the negotiation of the agreements.

There is no desire to call strikes but there will be if the agreements end in frustration for the workers.

This matter is not the responsibility of the Government, but it is aware that the demands of the unions are not excessive, given the loss of purchasing power with inflation at 8.4%, although with a tendency to decrease.

The context is not good for any of the actors.

Elections in Andalusia in less than four weeks;

Congress of the CEOE employers association close with the sure re-election of Antonio Garamendi;

struggle between the parties of the left, with the PSOE at the head, to rise up as guarantors of the needs of the less wealthy classes, and the unions.

At the time, the right waits for social peace to falter.

The Government already knows that soon the unions will look at it to "be more courageous", the centrals point out.

A benefit to deal with inflation can be one of the measures aimed at low-paid employees.

An increase in the minimum rate of 15% in corporate tax could be the basis for that help for those in difficulty.

In this context, the responses of the CEOE are flatly rejected: link the salary increase to productivity and completely forget about inflation.

If wages rise, prices and the inflationary spiral rise, alleges the highest business organization.

Impossible for the unions to accept these arguments.

Today a meeting of the social agents is celebrated, with the second levels of each organization, in which there will be numbers on the table.

It is about debating the difficulty of certain business sectors, especially the hotel industry, in finding workers.

Unions carry their knowledge on the ground with them.

Perhaps it has something to do with the offer of 1,200 euros of salary, with many hours of work, and rent payments that can be between 600, 800 or 900 euros, depending on the town in question.

This will be discussed today at this negotiation table with the background of concern about the risks involved in stretching the social rope without measure.

The unions remain willing to be at the forefront to agree but without letting other actors corner them or replace them.

Exclusive content for subscribers

read without limits

subscribe

I'm already a subscriber

Source: elparis

All news articles on 2022-05-23

You may like

Life/Entertain 2024-03-27T11:26:11.023Z
Life/Entertain 2024-02-11T15:13:56.749Z

Trends 24h

News/Politics 2024-03-28T06:04:53.137Z

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.