The general secretary of UGT, Pepe Álvarez, claimed this Wednesday that “not even a comma” will be touched on the agreement to reduce the working day to 37.5 hours in 2025 that the unions signed with the Ministry of Labor at the end of December. A measure that has become the cause of a bitter dispute between the two souls of the Government. On one side is the Ministry of Labor, which wants to speed up the deadlines to approve the text agreed with the unions as soon as possible and accuses the Economy of blocking the process. On the other, there is the ministry led by Carlos Corpo, which is not in such a hurry with the times and demands a “balanced” reform, which includes measures to support companies.
In the debate, Álvarez has aligned himself with the postulates of the vice presidency held by Yolanda Díaz. “We are going to demand that the agreement signed with the second vice president be fulfilled”said the union leader. “We negotiate with the Government and the Government decides who its interlocutors are. As long as the president does not say otherwise, our interlocutor is the Ministry of Labor”added the Ugetista leader.
ANDThe union leader has shown his concern about the position that Economía has adopted in the debatealthough she rejects the harsh epithets that Yolanda Díaz has recently poured out on Minister Carlos Body. “That arguments appear that are attributed to members of the Government who are very close to those of Cepyme or to some businessmen who have always distinguished themselves by their immobility does not seem reasonable to us,” said Álvarez, in a veiled reference to the Minister of Economy. In any case, the general secretary of UGT has highlighted that he maintains a good relationship with Minister Corps, although they have not met with him to discuss the reduction of working hours.
The veteran trade unionist has summoned the two ministers in conflict to settle their differences in private within the Council of Ministers and that they do not air them publicly. “We have to work, not debate publicly. I don’t think that gives us anything,” he said.
Alvarez has shown itself willing to discuss modifications to the original standard textbut once this has reached the parliamentary processing phase. In particular, with regard to public aid to SMEs so that they can better adapt to the reduction in hours. A point that was originally part of the negotiation, but that Labor removed from the text when it was seen that the businessmen were not going to join the agreement. “If something has to be recovered, it has to be in Congress. “Parliament wants to have a leading role and union and business organizations have to be aware that we have to leave room,” Álvarez expressed in this sense.
Precisely the uncertain parliamentary future of the norm is the background that underlies the clash between Economy and Labor. The reduction in working hours has the support of all the parliamentary partners of the Government except for Juntswhich for now does not view the measure favorably and is in harmony with the Catalan employers’ association Foment del Treball. A text that had business approval could have a better chance of success. From UGT they have always been open to resuming negotiations with the CEOE employers’ association, which did not bear fruit after a long and frustrating dialogue table that lasted eleven months and in which the positions barely moved.
For the moment, UGT is cautious with the timing of the regulation’s processing, but assures that it will not allow it to fall on deaf ears. “Let the Government forget that the reduction in working hours is going to remain in a drawer without it being processed. We are going to give it a reasonable amount of time, to see if there are signs that there will be a parliamentary majority to start the debate,” Álvarez concluded.
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