Unions criticize the inefficiency of the Government to recover purchasing power and demand urgent measures

Oct. 22 () –

Several union organizations from different sectors have demonstrated this Saturday in Madrid to demand “urgent” measures from the Government to stop the loss of purchasing power of workers and families in the face of escalating inflation.

A total of 5,000 demonstrators, according to figures from the Government delegation in Madrid, have walked the streets of Madrid this afternoon from Puerta del Sol to the Plaza del Museo Reina Sofía carrying banners with messages such as “Recover our rights” or “Minimum VAT for basic resources.

Specifically, the Unión Sindical Obrera (USO), the Satse nursing union, the ANPE education union, the Confederation of Cadres and Professionals (CCP), the Fetico independent union confederation, the Fasga federation of union associations, the independent union federation from the financial sector FINE, the Federation of Independent Teaching Unions (FSIE) and the Free Transport Union (SLT) met this Saturday to support workers and families in their recovery of purchasing power.

These independent unions began their protests on October 6, with rallies throughout Spain under the slogan ‘Regain purchasing power, NOW’.

The general secretary of USO, Joaquín Pérez, has denounced a “very complicated” situation for households and has lamented that large companies, banks or the Government boast of “record profits”, for which he calls for “concrete measures” for families.

He has also charged against labor legislation, since, in his opinion, “it is not having the results it was looking for.” “It is a falsely closed reform and it is evidenced in the latest contracting data,” added Pérez.

For his part, the general secretary of FSIE, Jesús Pueyo, explained that they have decided to take to the streets to demand the recovery of the purchasing power that they have lost with an economic crisis for which he has stated that “they are not to blame”.

Thus, he has been against the measures taken by the Government for “insufficient” and for “affecting” the private sector, causing their jobs to “endanger”: “Our employment is not of quality nor is it stable”.

SALARIES LINKED TO THE ICP OR SUPER-REDUCED VAT, AMONG THE MEASURES

The demands of this union platform go through unblocking collective bargaining with the recovery of the salary review clause linked to the CPI and an equivalent increase for public personnel and guaranteeing access to basic supplies, applying a super-reduced VAT on products of first necesity.

They also demand a new labor legislation “that does eliminate the most harmful parts” of the previous labor reforms, General State Budgets that prioritize social spending and revalue the minimum interprofessional salary (SMI), the Iprem and pensions; and a more participatory and plural law to articulate social dialogue.

The convening unions denounce that the workers have lost 13 salary points in less than two years and warn that the signing of indefinite contracts in recent months have not translated into a “true” creation of stable employment, since they have increased part-time and permanent-discontinuous contracts. In addition, they warn that dismissals for different reasons have multiplied.

In the opinion of these nine unions, “the actors of the social dialogue”, including the CCOO and the UGT, “are co-responsible for the precariousness of employment, for leading unemployment in Europe and for wage devaluation, both in the public sector and in the private, with a routine job and far from reality”.