Yolanda Díaz urges an agreement with distributors to limit the price of basic foods

The second vice president, Yolanda Díaz, last Friday during an act in Madrid.

Vice President Yolanda Díaz has distanced herself this Monday from her government partner by launching a proposal to reach an agreement with the distributors that limits the price of basic foods.

In a context of high inflation (10.4% in August) that is already affecting the purchasing power of families, the head of Labor has advocated in an interview granted to

for setting a maximum for certain products, such as bread, eggs or milk.

The initiative of the leader of United We Can in the Executive has surprised the Ione Belarra party, which has received its approach with skepticism, and the PSOE, which has not been in favor of capping prices either.

Although Podemos sees it as "sensible", it believes that in "times of economic difficulty" the Government must not only reach agreements, but "make decisions", as the spokesman for the formation Pablo Fernández reacted at a press conference.

The second vice president has warned that oligopolies "are not only in the banking or energy sectors."

“We have five large distributors that concentrate 50%”, she pointed out before considering it “a risk factor” that has led to price increases.

“They buy oranges from producers at 15 cents, and we citizens pay them at 1.48 euros.

The potatoes are paid to the producers of our country around 18 cents and are being sold at 1.35.

Garlic reaches supermarkets with an increase of almost 800%.

It's outrageous ”, she considered in the interview.

"Someone here is getting rich along the way and using the war [in Ukraine]," she added.

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“This is being a problem for many citizens in our country.

Not only because they lose purchasing power, but because they have difficulty maintaining a healthy diet, ”she justified hours later in statements to the media.

Díaz has specified upon his arrival at the inauguration of the new State Attorney General, Álvaro García Ortiz, that he will hold different meetings with distributors and consumer associations accompanied by the ministry led by Alberto Garzón with the aim of reaching an agreement between them to "set a basic shopping basket, without violating the right of competition, with between 20 and 30 products".

“We have set maximum prices for masks or in the last royal decree for the butane cylinder.

We believe that it is one more step and that it is very important”, she defended.

Belarra's formation, which was unaware of the specific proposal formulated by Díaz and sees an agreement with the companies as unlikely, supports the creation of an extraordinary tax on large food and distribution companies that it already proposed a few months ago.

This collection, explains the party, would allow giving checks to families to access the products.

The PSOE has not been in favor of limiting the price of certain foods either.

"Our interest is to reduce costs and that farmers and ranchers are properly remunerated," said Alegría, who recalled some of the measures approved by the Government, such as an item of 169 million euros for dairy farmers and another of 143 million meat farmers, without forgetting the food chain law, which was demanded by the primary sector and was voted against by the PP, so that it is not sold below the cost of production.

The discount on fuel and the reduction in VAT on gas should help to reduce the costs of the war, from which energy, fertilizers and feed do not escape.

The Socialists have also declined the proposal, which Diaz did not rule out in the interview, to agree on joint lists in some constituencies or for the Senate.

"The PSOE has many years and we are a majority party as we have shown throughout history, our militants and supporters choose the candidates in the different electoral processes and we are going to continue with that dynamic", Alegría has settled.

Once again, the socialist spokeswoman has not entered into the words of the second vice president, who believes that the PSOE "is not mature for this reality."

Housing law unlock

New course, old claims.

Podemos starts the political course with the priority objective of unblocking the housing law in Congress, a project of the Ministry of Transport, in the hands of the PSOE, but which has become one of the fundamental norms for Belarra's party in this legislature , who has negotiated the text in the first person.

Sources of Social Rights, which is led by the general secretary of Podemos, have pressed their government partner on Monday by stating that the law "may be approved tomorrow" if the socialists support three proposals supported by the investiture bloc, such as regulation of rent in stressed market areas for all owners.

The PSOE maintains that it is a very complex law:

As it is conceived now, the measure will only affect large holders, those who own more than 10 properties.

After the tug-of-war between the PSOE and UP during the drafting of the law, civil organizations and part of the parliamentary arc —including ERC— have branded the norm decaffeinated.

With their statements, Podemos has blamed the socialists for blocking the housing law in the lower house, after it was approved in the Council of Ministers on February 1 and in March the amendment phase was opened in Congress.

Among the demands of the partners are the prohibition of evictions in Spain of vulnerable families without there being an alternative housing and the inclusion of all Sareb homes in the public rental stock.

“These three elements, if included in the legislative text, it would be a matter of days before we could close it.

It is my obligation as a public representative and as the person responsible for the Government that the texts go ahead to tell the PSOE.

If that were included, it would be much easier to pass this law."

Belarra has reiterated in statements to TVE first thing in the morning.

"They are proposals of common sense and have great social support", justifies Social Rights.

The PSOE attaches great importance to limiting the noise in the coalition as much as possible instead of stirring up differences with the minority partner of the Executive.

Alegría has avoided the clash with United We Can in the housing law and other points of friction.

“The most important thing we have to say is that for the first time we are going to have a housing law.

It is a fundamental objective and we want to reach the maximum consensus to approve a historic law that responds to one of the main problems of this country, especially for young people”.

Alegría has appealed to prudence, avoiding entering into the state of negotiations, although he has recalled that the Government has approved 160 laws in the legislature as a result of dialogue and consensus.

The spokesman for Podemos has been optimistic at a press conference about the possibility that the PSOE will give its approval to its demands, despite the fact that they were largely rejected during the preparation of the text.

“We are in a context of greater economic crisis, families are going through enormous difficulties and it was Pedro Sánchez who stated his intention to turn to the left.

At this time, what the Government cannot do is lose credibility”, he justified.

Fernández has urged the partner to approve the law "immediately" and has disassociated his negotiation from that of the next Budgets.

“We trust that it will be done sooner,” he declared.