They remained five minutes in the dark at various points in the Community to request support measures
The Plaza de las Flores de Murcia was left in the dark this Tuesday afternoon to denounce the complex situation that the hospitality and commerce sector has been going through since the start of the pandemic, aggravated in recent months by the increase in the cost of electricity and gas. A reality marked by the uncertainty that makes it difficult to maintain most businesses: «Businessmen cannot wait. Their establishments, and with them thousands of jobs, hang in the balance. We need urgent solutions”, lamented the president of the Regional Federation of Hospitality and Tourism Entrepreneurs of the Region of Murcia (HoyTú), Jesús Jiménez.
Five minutes into the symbolic blackout called by Hospitality of Spain, -supported by professionals from all over the Region, with the celebration of events in other areas of commercial influx, such as in Cartagena- followed by the reading of a manifesto by the president of the hotel management and the president of the Federation of Businesses of the Region of Murcia (Coremur), Carmen Piñero. Among the measures included in the document are the approval of some electricity bonds “applying the remnants of the unused Covid aid to the sector, and valued at around 3,000 million euros,” according to Jiménez.
Dark terraces in the center of Cartagena. /
The associations demanded from the administrations measures to support consumption, cost reduction and transition towards renewable energy sources. To do this, they proposed the reduction of electricity taxes and regulatory costs, establishing temporary suspensions, moratoriums and postponements, as well as public guarantees for purchases of long-term renewable supplies by user groups.
In his speech, Piñero appealed to responsible consumption, encouraging Murcians to do their Black Friday and Christmas shopping at small local businesses to promote the circular economy. “If we invest only in the big internet operators, who do not pay taxes here, we will all end up going bankrupt,” he defended, while calling for “greater commitment from the administrations” to encourage consumption with campaigns aimed at these businesses.
From the Plaza de las Flores they asked for electricity bonds and adapted contracting formulas
In line with this claim, Piñero recalled that the Outlet Fair scheduled for November could not finally be held because the Murcia City Council “refused to do it with the twenty exhibitors who signed up due to the lack of planning of previous calls.”
Hospitality and trade united closed their manifesto in the Plaza de las Flores demanding the elimination of tolls and the search for adapted hiring formulas. “We are tough, hard-working and tenacious sectors, but in extreme situations we need support from the administrations,” they concluded.
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