Álvarez (UGT), "surprised" that Calviño asks social agents for an income agreement again

He demands a "responsibility gesture" from CEOE and warns him: either he unblocks collective bargaining or he will ask for an immediate increase in the SMI

MADRID, 5 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The general secretary of the UGT, Pepe Álvarez, has been "surprised" by the statements of the first vice president, Nadia Calviño, that the Government will once again demand an income pact from the social agents to deal with the rise in inflation during a meeting scheduled for today.

Álvarez, in statements to the 24-hour channel collected by Europa Press, has indicated that the meeting was on the agenda but has denounced that he did not know the agenda and that he had found out about it from the words of the vice president.

"Now we have found out, via the media, that he wants to talk about the rent agreement. When the meetings are not prepared, it does not seem to me that the result is going to be exactly positive, but we are going to see what the government's proposals are" , has indicated.

Asked if there are possibilities for the unions and CEOE to reach a salary agreement for collective bargaining, Álvarez has assured that "he would like it" and that they are going to put pressure on the employers again with new concentrations called for tomorrow in front of all the employers' associations of the country to demand an agreement that unblocks the agreements that are paralyzed, especially since the beginning of the year.

"The employers should make a gesture of responsibility because if not, the conflict will continue. We are not going to sign the lower agreements because there are no reasons. The vice president can see the panorama as dark as she believes, but today there are many companies in our country that are earning a lot of money and what they are not doing is distributing that money," Álvarez denounced.

In this sense, the leader of the UGT has stressed that workers have many difficulties to make ends meet because inflation has not been transferred to wages and has asked that they rise "generally" because "it can be done" and because it would help to reduce economic problems.

Álvarez explained that the "stumbling block" in reaching an agreement with CEOE on wages remains the same: the inclusion of a review clause that guarantees the purchasing power of workers.

"In the collective bargaining that comes from previous years, the coverage of the clause is below 20% of the workers, but the one that we have signed since January is above 80%. This is either dealt with civilly at a table of negotiation or the conflict in the agreements will grow," Álvarez warned, adding that the unions are not going to give up on raising wages.

The union leader has stressed that it is not only the big companies that are making a lot of money. Thus, he has indicated that catering companies are making prices more than 30% more expensive without costs having risen by 30% and wages, in many cases, are without agreeing to an agreement.

"There are some price increases that have been made that are not going to go back even if the price of energy drops. I am of a certain age and I have never seen the price of coffee drop in a coffee shop by the ten cents it rose for reasons that then they went back," he said.

The union leader has also warned the CEOE that either unblock the agreements, especially those that affect workers with lower wages, or the unions will ask the Government to now raise the minimum interprofessional wage (SMI) given that the current situation "It is impossible to maintain for those who earn around 1,000 euros".

"The SMI Law makes it possible and almost calls for when there is a triggered inflation like the one we have, it is reviewed in the middle of the year and the CEOE has to be aware," Álvarez said.

The trade union leader has also been critical of the Government's decision to approve the anti-crisis measures without consulting them first with the social agents and, in this sense, has stated that he is not in favor of lowering the VAT on electricity "to everyone for Same".

Regarding the data on unemployment and affiliation to Social Security for the month of June, known yesterday, Álvarez has defended that they are "absolutely extraordinary" due to "many laps that are given to it" and has urged the PP to stop putting "absurd buts" to labor reform.

"The workers who have gone from a temporary contract to an indefinite one, take note. Because the employers did it reluctantly and the PP voted against it," he stressed.

In another order of things, Álvarez has referred to the approval, by the Council of Ministers this Tuesday, to make more than 67,000 toilets permanent. In his opinion, the lack of professionals in public health is not solved "not even remotely" with this measure, since, in addition to consolidating jobs, they must be created.

In relation to the increase in defense spending announced by the Government, the UGT leader has asked that this be part of a "serious" debate, in which the whole of society and not just the Council of Ministers can participate.

For Álvarez, the current geopolitical moment "requires a new dimension" to Defense issues, so that if more is invested in this matter, it will also be reinvested in the industrial sector.

"I would call on the Minister of Defense not only to say it, but to do it. We would like to know what repercussion those 1,000 million euros have on the industrial sector. If the State is going to spend more money on Defense, that has to be transferred in value added value and technology to the country", he concluded.