The outgoing president of the institution, Joaquim Gay de Montellà, ensures that companies have moved the headquarters outside of Catalonia continue to be as partners.
Admits that the Catalan employers themselves saw how in 2012 the membership has dropped significantly as a result of the economic crisis, his worst moment at the front of the institution
Gay of Montellà: “Catalonia is going to a period of 10 years or more without growth, if we continue like this”
The president of the Catalan employers: “we are Not cowards, but we live here. It is very easy from the outside”
The next Monday, Joaquim Gay de Montellà will leave the presidency of the patronal Catalan Foment del Treball in the hands of Josep Sánchez Llibre -the only candidate who opts the choice – and what does feeling “proud” of having been at the forefront of the institution’s business “a very important pillar for Catalonia”, since march 2011.
In these almost eight years of leading the Catalan employers, Gay of Montellà believe that the positioning that has kept the institution has been “balanced and appropriate” to further the interests of large, medium and small companies and “we have not contributed to wrecking the situation,” he explained during a breakfast with the media, by way of farewell. For this entrepreneur -directs the family firm Estram-, his second term has been the most complex. First, the effects of the economic crisis resulted in a decline in the number of partners to the entity, and second, the political context for the confrontation between the Catalan and Spanish governments. In this second case, Gay of Montellà has insisted that the business world needs, “as he has been claiming during the past few years, legal certainty and political stability” and that these have been the claims that have arisen since his presidency “and segur that will continue to be demands in the future,” he said.
After admitting that the decline in the number of affiliates in 2013 was the worst moment in his time as president of Foment, Gay of Montellà has assured that contrary to the flight of businesses to the root of the conflict Catalan by the 1-Or has had no effect. “We have found that none of the more than 4,000 companies that have moved their headquarters have been dropped. It’s a great recognition to the industrial base, commercial and tourism has Catalonia”, he said.
Gay of Montellà has also expressed its satisfaction for the admission on the part of the Supreme Court of appeal presented by the Foment against the judgment of the Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia declared legal the strike of November 8, 2017.
The entrepreneur has reiterated that it was a strike that is not working and has been pointed out that it was called by a trade union (Intersindical-CSC) without sufficient representation.
The still president of Foment also has to be considered that today the business world Catalan “voice and authority” and that the society understands better than before the value of the entrepreneur and his key role “as generator of wealth and employment”.
The businessman has admitted that there are issues that leaves close as the renewal of relations with Cecot, the territorial organization of the Vallès which was suspended for a year. “It sure will be easier that you can correct with another president,” he said.
in Addition, it has downplayed the disputes with the employers of small and medium-sized enterprises Pimec, assuring that “we have different visions with the same purpose of giving the best to the smes”, at the same time has also left in the hands of Sanchez Llibre the management of the debate on the representativeness of business.
After finishing his second mandate at the head of Foment, Gay of Montellà has said that it will be a few months respite and then discarded again to have an active role in the business field.
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