The employers confirm their ‘unanimous’ ‘no’ to the reduction of the working day to 37 and a half hours a week that the Government intends to approve. As the leader of the employers’ association, Antonio Garamendi, had already shown, the CEOE voted this Tuesday against the latest offer from the Executive, which proposed direct aid of up to 6,000 euros for small businesses in sectors such as hospitality and commerce, and that now remain up in the air after the businessmen pulled out of the negotiation.
“The conclusion is that CEOE and CEPYME, from their responsibility, cannot support this proposal,” maintain the businessmen, who accuse the Government of “interference” in collective bargaining.
“Modifying by law issues that are the subject of collective agreements, such as the reduction of working hours, and that, in fact, are already being agreed bilaterally in the agreements, represents an interference in the autonomy of collective bargaining, enshrined in article 37.1 of the Constitution,” adds the employer’s statement.
At the beginning of the morning, when the ‘no’ from the CEOE was already expected, the Secretary of State for Labor, Joaquín Pérez Rey, once again called on businessmen to “reflect” and to join the pact to carry out the day legal maximum of 40 hours, approved more than four decades ago, to 37 and a half a week.
“In such a decisive reform for future generations, of a more moderate working time, it would be very important for the CEOE to participate in this great country pact,” said Yolanda Díaz’s ‘number two’.
Joaquín Pérez Rey has highlighted the Government’s negotiating “efforts”, after ten months of conversations in the social dialogue to attempt a tripartite pact. This delay has in fact meant that the first goal agreed between PSOE and Sumar for the reduction of working hours was not applied: 38 and a half hours by 2024. Now the Executive will accelerate to meet the final objective: 37.5 hours in 2025.
The businessmen maintain in their statement that the rule will weaken collective bargaining, “which has been fundamental to maintaining social peace over the last 40 years,” and they affirm that in practice “it leads many companies, especially SMEs and the self-employed, to a forced reorganization that will put its capacity for internal organization and survival to the limit.”
Aid to companies remains up in the air
The withdrawal of the employers from the negotiation with the Government leaves the way open for an agreement only with the majority unions (CCOO and UGT), in favor of the reduction of the working day. As has already happened with the minimum wage or other measures that have resulted in bipartite agreements, Vice President Yolanda Díaz warned businessmen that leaving the negotiation would have a cost, with an eye on the economic aid offered to SMEs until the date.
Although Labor has not subsequently clarified whether it will withdraw all the proposed aid, both direct and bonuses for hiring in small companies, it has made it clear that in a negotiation only with the unions, the “geometry” of the agreement is different due to the interests at stake.
The priorities of CCOO and UGT are the reduction of the working day, as well as reinforcing the time record so that it is truly effective, as well as guaranteeing the right to digital disconnection. Matters in which they agree with the Ministry of Labor, which has proposed toughening the sanctions for non-compliance in the registration of working hours.
In recent days, Labor has accused the CEOE employers’ association of prioritizing “political or ideological considerations” over the interests of companies, an idea that Pérez Rey has influenced today.
The pact with the unions is therefore expected to be simple, but the Executive will have to pass one more test for the reduction in working hours to be finally approved: gathering political support for the legislation in Parliament.
The Secretary of State for Labor, Joaquín Pérez Rey, has stated that the Government is already working on political support for the measure to try to achieve “the maximum possible support.” The Ministry insists that the measure has broad support from citizens of all ideologies, including Vox, according to surveys.
Source: www.eldiario.es
