The Ministry of Labor met this afternoon with employers and unions to address the reform of unemployment protection, in a meeting to which it brought only its proposal – which had been previously shared in writing with the social partners – and which has generated misgivings at the table, since they want to know the definitive position of the Government and doubt the true intentions of the second vice president, Yolanda Díaz, to negotiate.
Sources from the Ministry had indicated this morning that the starting position from which negotiations must be negotiated is that of Díaz, totally contrary to that managed by the Ministry of Economy headed by Nadia Calviño. From there, they show themselves willing to negotiate although they consider their position valid, which they assure that he agreed on Sumar with the PSOE within the framework of the investiture agreement.
The unions, a priori, had been against the position of Economy but they have not come away satisfied from their meeting with Labor, among other things because they distrust that the Ministry only wants to consult them before approving the text, without having a real intention to negotiate. , and because they believe that their proposal is “insufficient.”
“We understand that the amounts, both the level of benefit and the assistance, are not adequate. The level of benefit, when one has worked and at the contributory level at the maximum limits, does not reach the Minimum Interprofessional Wage, so we defend from UGT that “At least it should reach that level. At least the poverty level should be overcome. Not only does the 480 euros that exist now seem insufficient, but even the 660 euros if the amounts are raised in the proportion that the Ministry of Labor has proposed” said Fernando Luján, deputy general secretary of Union Policy of UGT, at the end of the meeting.
The UGT spokesperson has taken the opportunity to attack the Economy, stating that he does not see it as “reasonable” that a benefit of these amounts could discourage the search for employment. The union has committed to making a proposal and has asked for time, since it does not see it appropriate after so long of waiting to now close a reform “in a botched manner.”
For CCOO the reform is also “partial and insufficient” and they point out that it will be necessary to see if the Government wants to negotiate or only know the opinion of social agents before approving the text. “The proposal arrives more than a year late. It is a very important negotiation for us and one that we have been asking to address since the spring of 2022. Now the reform comes hastily and with little time. What must be determined is whether it really It is a negotiation process,” said Carlos Bravo, Secretary of Social Protection and Public Policies at CCOO, who has also committed to bringing proposals.
“What the Government has to clarify is if it has time and margin to negotiate or if it has held a meeting to make a proposal, collect contributions and then approve what it considers appropriate. If so, we will also do what we consider appropriate. “, he has settled.
For their part, negotiation sources on the employers’ side say that they need “a joint position from the Government” and have conveyed to Labor that they feel closer to the position of the Ministry of Economy because active employment policies prevail, as Gerardo Cuerva, president of Cepyme, told EL MUNDO in an interview with this medium.
Labor’s intention is to approve the reform by royal decree-law at the end of the month, among other things because it had committed to doing so with Brussels in component 23 of the Recovery Plan. Given the importance of the reform, however, social agents ask that it be faced calmly, in addition to the fact that its negotiation is overlapping with that relating to the increase in the Minimum Interprofessional Wage.
This meeting took place after controversy broke out last week between Díaz and Calviño when it became known that they held opposing positions on the reform of unemployment protection, and after these discrepancies led Díaz to accuse the Minister of Economy of have ideological convictions very close to the right.
From the economic world, there have been several voices that have already positioned themselves on the side of the Economy and have asked that a good opportunity not be wasted to carry out a reform that could lead Spain towards lowering unemployment and, in the best of cases, the achievement of full employment.
In Economy they do not enter into the flurry of accusations, but they trust that their quieter work will finally serve to make the reform somewhat similar to their proposal.
The Ministry of Economy has proposed that the unemployment benefit – which is collected in some cases after the benefit – be reduced from 30 to 12 months and that it be decreasing as in other European countries. It would start from a higher level – equivalent to 100% of the IPREM in the first quarter, 600 euros in today’s value – and would go down progressively (up to 80% of the IPREM in the second quarter, 480 euros; to 65% in the third or 390 euros and at 50% in the fourth, 240 euros). In total, the average subsidy would be equivalent to 73.7% of the IPREM, that is, 442.5 euros per month on average and would only last one year. It now stands at 80% of the IPREM and extends up to 30 months.
Labor, however, wants to maintain its duration and proposes that the first 6 months the subsidy rise to 110% of the IPREM (660 euros), that the following half year it be at 90% of the IPREM (540 euros today) and that from the second year onwards it will remain at 480 euros. All these amounts will vary from January 2024 because the IPREM will foreseeably be updated upwards.