Principle of agreement between PSOE and United We Can to leave the asbestos fund in Social Security

MADRID, 29 May. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The PSOE and United We Can have reached an agreement in principle to leave the compensation fund for asbestos victims dependent on the National Social Security Institute, and not on the Institute for the Elderly and Social Services (Imserso), as the PSOE had proposed.

This was one of the proposals that the main government group had raised in its amendments to the bill promoted by the Parliament of the Basque Country and which is now being processed by Congress.

Among its amendments, the PSOE defends limiting the scope of this fund to people who have been affected by a permanent disability of at least 33%, are not entitled to any pension or benefit and have lived in Spain for at least ten years. It also proposed avoiding the surcharge of contributions or contributions from the mutual companies that the initiative promoted by the Basque Chamber includes.

This same week, coinciding with the meeting of the committee designated by the Labor Commission to discuss this initiative, the CCOO and UGT unions called a rally to demand that the PSOE withdraw these proposals.

This was stated by the general secretaries of the CCOO, Unai Sordo, and of the UGT, Pepe Álvarez, who called in their statements to grant sufficient financing to the fund, keep it dependent on Social Security and preserve the spirit of the original proposal, since the approval of these amendments would mean "failing the victims".

The financing of the fund is another of the 'hot' points of the negotiation, sources familiar with the negotiations inform Europa Press. In the 'purple' part of the coalition they demand to guarantee sufficient financing of the fund, while the red line of the Socialists is that it be financed from the General State Budgets.

Precisely the public accounts for this year contemplated reserving 25 million euros for these compensations, after the agreement reached by these formations with EH-Bildu for the support of this formation to the Budgets.

Finally, another of the points under negotiation is where to locate the advisory council, since United We Can rejects that it be dependent on the Ministry of Labor as initially proposed by the PSOE.

At its meeting this Wednesday, the paper did not agree to introduce any changes, despite the fact that in the ranks of the PSOE they did not rule out shelving this phase to go on to vote on the amendments and the law in the Labor Commission. However, the committee decided to allow two more weeks and continue discussing possible changes in search of an agreement.