Under the slogan ‘Salary of conflict’, they demand that the CEOE not come out of this crisis at the expense of workers’ salaries and agree to raises that respond to the rise in the cost of living
The CC OO and UGT unions are mobilizing on the streets of Madrid this Thursday to demand wage increases from employers so that workers can cope with the rise in the cost of living due to rising inflation. Under the motto ‘Salary of conflict’, the trade union organizations of the employers’ organization (CEOE) demand a ‘fair’ pay increase for all employees in the private sector.
Unai Sordo, general secretary of CC OO, explained in an interview in Ser that they have no intention of increasing salaries at the same pace as inflation, but they are proposing increases of 4% or 4.5% this year and 3.5% coming “Businessmen are used to a crisis being resolved at the expense of workers’ wages,” he denounced.
For his part, the general secretary of the UGT, Pepe Álvarez, claimed that companies can make these increases because “in general their profits are growing”, as evidenced by underlying inflation – which does not take into account energy prices or fresh food – remains at 6. .5%. “Companies spend the increase in costs in final prices and increase their profit margins,” says Álvarez.
In addition, unions insist that without better salaries, domestic household consumption will slow down, worsening corporate accounts and, in turn, worsening unemployment and the economy. “We must preserve the vitality of the citizens if we are to maintain economic growth,” the union leaders assured.
On the part of the government, the second vice president and minister of labor, Yolanda Díaz, has always supported the trade unions in these mobilizations and has even asked the president of the CEOE, Antonio Garamendi, to take on “the task” of his country. to take . On the other hand, the economic vice president, Nadia Calviño, this Thursday emphasized the “great responsibility” of the social agents during these years and trusted that an income pact with the employers can be reached. “It would be very positive news,” said Calviño, explaining that this pact would provide “a framework of trust” in the coming years.
And the other party involved in the conflict, the CEOE, emphasized its “absolute respect” for the mobilization of the unions, but chairman Garamendi pointed out that wages cannot be increased to the same extent as inflation. “We’re not saying they can’t raise wages. What we can’t do is sign that wages are rising, just like inflation, just plain. You can talk about productivity, benefits. There are formulas,” said the leader of the employers’ association in an interview with RNE.
He assured that the protests are “legitimate”, but that he disagrees with the union approach because collective bargaining “works”, although it was not possible to sign a global agreement between unions and employers as on other occasions. “Today it is very difficult to make a global approach with the one that goes down (…) The conclusion of agreements is a recommendation and if it is homogeneous and with an increase indexed to inflation, it will be difficult for us to reach an agreement,” Garamendi insisted.
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.
