Díaz believes that businessmen are located "on behalf" after rejecting the reduction of working hours

MADRID 5 Nov. () –

The second vice president and Minister of Labor and Social Economy, Yolanda Díaz, has accused the CEOE of placing itself “in a partisan position” by rejecting the Government’s proposal to reduce the working day to 37.5 hours, instead of defending the interests of businessmen and respect the institutions.

In an interview on RNE’s ’24 Hours’, collected by Europa Press, Díaz has shown his rejection of this position, which he has pointed out that he “had not known” until now and that it means placing himself “on the side of partisanship” and not the of the debate typical of a social dialogue table.

“The employers’ association is placing itself on the side of partisanship and not on the side of a social table. The CEOE has to decide if it wants to represent legitimate interests and reach agreements that bring incentives for companies or stay in a debate that is typical of the policy and not of social agents,” he expressed.

Furthermore, the minister highlighted that the Government has defended in the debate the reduction of working hours for Spanish companies while the employers’ association has remained “idly” and without making proposals.

After this rejection, the vice president pointed out that at the social dialogue table they will continue with their mission and next Monday they will continue to advance with one of the labor measures “that Spaniards most crave” and that will improve productivity and economic efficiency. and the quality of life of the people.

STANCE OF BUSINESSMEN

Contrary to what Labor maintains, the employers’ associations warn that it will be “hard” to increase productivity from the reduction of working hours in a productive fabric made up of around 98% by SMEs and the self-employed, and where the sectors with greatest contribution to GDP are linked, among others, to services or tourism.

“Adopting measures like this, in general, makes little sense if we take into account the enormous differences that exist between the different economic sectors and between autonomous communities,” the business organizations argued in the statement issued this Tuesday rejecting the proposal.

Business organizations warn that, if the reduction of working hours is approved by law, it would weaken the collective bargaining framework, “which has been fundamental to maintaining social peace over the last 40 years” and, in practice, “would lead to many companies, especially SMEs and the self-employed, to a forced reorganization that will put their capacity for internal organization and survival to the limit.