The minister replies that it is a good measure for Catalonia and for the country
MADRID, 6 (EUROPA PRESS)
Junts has conveyed to the second vice president and Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díaz, that they currently do not support the law to reduce the workweek to 37.5 hours because it is something «that businesses have not requested» and it is not a top priority «in the demands of workers.»
Seizing the opportunity that Díaz appeared in the Labor Commission of the Congress, Junts’ deputy Josep Maria Cervera has conveyed to the vice president that the reduction of the workweek is a measure that responds «to a need of hers» because it is part of the Government agreement between the PSOE and Unidas Podemos.
Currently, the Government has presented the draft law to reduce the workweek to 37.5 hours and still needs to approve the project in the Council of Ministers to then proceed with its parliamentary processing. The law has not generated consensus in the social dialogue table, as the employers’ association did not join the agreement, and even led to a clash between the Ministries of Labor and Economy.
«We also do not support this draft law at the moment,» Cervera has stated. The deputy has reflected, arguing that the position «is not easy» since no worker will give up working less and earning more. However, he has argued that there are collective agreements negotiated between unions and companies that have working hours below 40 hours per week. «It cannot change the way collective bargaining has evolved in this country in recent decades,» he added.
In this context, the deputy has advised the minister to opt for «agreement and consensus,» so that the endorsement of the business sector is added to this reduction of the workweek. According to Cervera, the imposition by law of the reduction of the workweek will create inequality among sectors and territories, and above all, it will generate «more problems» in micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises.
DÍAZ DENIES WANTING TO REDUCE THE WORKWEEK OUT OF POLITICAL NECESSITY
Regarding the issue, the Minister of Labor and Social Economy, Yolanda Díaz, has denied wanting to reduce the workweek out of political necessity and has indicated that she does so because she is «convinced» that it is good for the country and for Catalonia.
In this regard, she has pointed out that regions such as the Basque Country and Navarra already have a 37.5-hour workweek in some sectors and has asked Junts to consider the measure.
«Do you think Catalonia cannot have it (the reduction of the workweek)? (…) Your country is very advanced, it’s true, the gateway to Europe, the president of the commission that always mentions it, and I often informally meet with deputies from any Catalan political party, I say this: the strike at La Canadiense (in Barcelona) made Spain the first country in the ILO to reduce the workweek,» Díaz emphasized.
Thus, she has urged the Catalan party to feel «proud» to contribute a modern conception of business and labor rights to the «common heritage» and has asserted that the issue of reducing the workweek is not related to the size of companies but to the gap between companies with a workweek close to 37.5 hours and those closer to 40 hours per week.
THE MOST REPRESENTATIVE AUTONOMOUS EMPLOYERS’ ASSOCIATIONS WILL BE IN THE CES
On another note, regarding the Government’s commitment to Junts to incorporate the most representative regional employers’ associations into the Economic and Social Council (CES), Díaz has guaranteed that this will be implemented.
«I will comply with participation in the CES, I already tell you yes, and you know, you know, what we are doing and what we will have to do, even with legislative modifications, to comply with it,» the Minister of Labor responded when asked by the Catalan deputy if they will finally implement this agreement, which is still pending.
Díaz has assured that this modification in the CES, introduced in the Royal Decree-law reforming the unemployment benefit, will be carried out by the Government out of «our own conviction» and to «fulfill the promise given.»