The feeling among the unions is that this legislature is going slowly. Comparing it with the legislative frenzy of the previous one, they now perceive that everything is slowing down, and this is something that worries them. This is the notice issued this Friday by the general secretaries of UGT, Pepe Álvarez, and of CC.OO., Unai Sordo, in the presentation on May 1. It will be a protest party as always, this time the motto is “less hours, better salaries”; but it is also a matter of warning the Government not to rest on its laurels, because they consider that it is falling into a “reformist paralysis” and self-complacency.
“We must dare to make norms, to make projects or make decrees that then have to be validated or not and each political group to explain later why it votes what it votes. But we believe that the result of the difficulty of carrying out norms cannot be be not presenting standards,” said Unai Sordo.
The two general secretaries are aware of the Government’s balance in parliament and the setbacks it has already suffered. But, from here, they ask that the Executive present its bills and that each group take a position. “The time has come for these things to be seen in parliament, and for everyone to reflect, whether they are in the government or not,” said Pepe Alvarez.
The underlying concern of union members is that “the socioeconomic agency is disappearing,” that after the labor reform, the increase in the SMI, and other measures taken in the last legislative period, everything is now paralyzed. They see a Government that likes to boast about the good performance of the economy, but who are reminded that this is thanks to the measures taken previously and that if the engine of initiatives stops, it will end up paying. They also add that even if they risk losing some votes, it is time to continue legislating.
In this area, there is a great priority in sight, the reduction of the working day, an issue in which three-way negotiations are combined with other bilateral ones between unions and employers. It is true that they find it difficult to advance while the electoral calls continue to take place, but before the summer, they hope to reach an agreement. If it is feasible, three-way, but if not, they ask the Government to move forward, even without the employers. In any case, the assessment by the unions is that the CEOE is not head-on against the measure, although they recognize that it goes by sectors, and that especially in agriculture is where there is the most opposition to any introduction of this reduction in working hours in the Status of workers.
