The general secretary of UGT, Pepe Alvarezinsisted this Friday on defending his meeting on Monday with the former president of the Generalitat of Catalonia and leader of Junts, Carles Puigdemontat Waterloo, to try to get his party to facilitate the approval of the reduction in working hoursremembering that the president of Foment and vice president of CEOE, Josep Sánchez Llibrehad a meeting with him months ago and did not hear “anyone tear their clothes.”
This is how Álvarez expressed himself during the closing of the UGT FICA Congressin Malaga, where he said that the 37.5 hours per week “are essential” for UGT and they will “pursue them by land, sea and air.”
“What’s wrong, what Does anyone think that we are not going to defend the interests of workers wherever they are? and with all the instruments that we have in our hands?” Álvarez insisted to explain his meeting with Puigdemont.
In parallel, he stressed that his union is going to continue trying to get the CEOE “go back to the negotiating table” because “he slammed the door when they went to see Puigdemont and came to the conclusion that, surely, they were not going to support reducing the working day.”
Álvarez assumes that UGT will receive criticism in the coming days for this meeting, but has warned that They do not want “this to be a dead legislature”so progress must continue in labor rights, including an improvement in the situation of access to housing.
Precisely, regarding housing, he has warned that there will not be enough workers in some sectors if the problem of access to this basic good is not solved. “We are not going to allow them to live in barracks or under a bridge again.“he said.
The work of the Government
In another vein, Álvarez has stressed that “without this Government of Spain, plural“, many of the advances achieved “would not have been possible”, despite the efforts made by the unions. However, he has demanded to improve the industrial development of Spain from the digital and ecological transformation that is being experienced.
“Our country needs a more diversified economy. It cannot depend only on one sector,” said the union leader, who has warned that everything cannot be played a la carte in the services sector and, especially, in tourism.
He has also asked the Government that the reform of the relief contract “see the light before the end of this year”, which will help, according to Álvarez, the industry, in order to improve the generational change in the sector. In his opinion, it is a measure that “should have a very important majority in the Congress of Deputies”, including the PP.
On the other hand, it has urged “talk about salaries” so that they continue to risebecause now companies’ profits are distributed less than a decade ago. “That must be remedied,” he stressed.
In the same way, has demanded that the minimum interprofessional wage (SMI) rise to around 1,290 euros so that it really falls within the Government’s objective of 60% of the average salary in Spain.
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