On October 7, they will gather in front of employers’ headquarters and on November 3, they will convene a large demonstration to demand wage increases with inflation.
There is already a calendar of mobilizations to unclog collective agreement negotiations and demand wage increases from the CEOE in line with inflation. The unions, after months of threats, have already taken action and presented this Wednesday the dates of what will be a first phase of protest that will give rise to successive protests until they achieve their goal: that is nothing but to preserve the purchasing power of the employees covered by the agreement, given the current price increases.
The first date, the official start date, is October 7, the day when the UGT and CC OO call their delegates and all citizens to gather in front of the headquarters of business organizations. The “agitation process” will continue during the weeks of October 14 to 28, during which informational meetings will be held in the workplaces, especially in those sectors with the most paralyzed negotiations, and manifestos will be distributed in the streets. And the climax comes on November 3 with a “big demonstration” through the streets of Madrid.
“The aim of this campaign is to defend working people in a difficult economic and social time with rampant inflation and the cost of living growth, to reopen negotiations with employers to close the thousands of blocked deals and a comprehensive salary agreement. UGT general secretary Pepe Álvarez said at a press conference, pointing out that Spain is the second country in Europe to increase salaries the least, averaging 2.8% in agreements.
Álvarez stressed that this process is being done “forced by the intransigence of the employers, who only think about billing a little more every day.” In that sense, he denounced that the companies make money, as the Bank of Spain noted last week, and believes they have “sufficient margin” to negotiate upward wages.
Along the same lines, his CC OO counterpart, Unai Sordo, argued that the unions are proposing three-year pay increases that are “perfectly affordable” for the companies. Of course, both leaders warned that if the last proposal they made in May was a 3.5% salary increase, accompanied by wage guarantee clauses, now that inflation has risen to 10.5%, the increase they will demand will be greater, at least 4. .5% and shielding with the IPC.
Another option that the unions are open to is that if the CEOE continues to close to include the safeguard clauses, the increase they agree for this year is much higher, it exceeds the underlying inflation rate, which is above 6%.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
