A UGT delegation met this Monday with the Minister of Transport, Raquel Sánchez, and concluded that it makes “a negative assessment” of the PSOE agreement with Esquerra Republicana regarding the transfer of Rodalies, the commuter rail service.
According to a statement from the union, “UGT has proposed as non-negotiable premises that the integrity of Renfe Operadora and the railway infrastructure network be maintained, that the rights of workers be guaranteed, not only economic but also professional.” and mobility”.
The minister, who is a Catalan socialist, has explained “the political context” and the need for the PSOE to reach an agreement with ERC to form a progressive government, but her explanations have not convinced the union delegation, headed by the general secretary. of the UGT Federation of Services, Mobility and Consumption (FeSMC-UGT), Antonio Oviedo.
“Beyond the political context, UGT is not going to allow a process of this magnitude to be carried out, which would affect more than 2,000 professionals of the public railway operator, without many aspects being detailed, especially of a technical nature, which are currently in the air,” criticizes the statement.
“Consequently, and in the absence of detailed information, UGT negatively values the transfer of Rodalies in the terms proposed. Therefore, our Organization contemplates all types of measures to defend the current labor framework that protects Renfe Operadora professionals. and the role of reference public operator that has been providing an essential public service to the users of this mode of transport”.
Oviedo has conveyed his “concern” to the minister about the impact of the transfer to the Generalitat both on the rights of the workers of the state company affected and on the operation of the service.
“As the majority class union in this country, we are not oblivious to the political context, but much less to the social context that, in the case at hand, affects not only the professionals of Renfe Operadora but also the users of public rail transport,” concludes the statement.
The minister, for her part, has tried to reassure the union delegation by pointing out that for now there is only a “political agreement” with the party led by Oriol Junqueras, but that the technical details are missing. Among them, she has committed to making Renfe Operadora part of the new Catalan company that will manage the service.
On the other hand, the minister has made statements defending her previous position against the transfer and has clarified that when she maintained that it was “illegal” before the elections, she was referring to the fact that Renfe roads and services of national interest could not be transferred. She points out that the current railway regulations themselves allow the transfer of those that are only regional in scope, in her opinion.