The third vice president of the Government and Minister of Labor and Social Economy,

Yolanda Díaz

, has asked this Monday the President of the Government,

Pedro Sánchez

, and the rest of the members of the Executive to have "the same courage" with the minimum interprofessional salary (SMI) that with the pardons to the independence prisoners and this same year this minimum income is raised.

"My position is known. A progressive government must look out for the weakest," said the minister, who added that it is not so important how much the SMI rises this year, as if it rises, since its recipients, who are out of collective agreement, they are losing purchasing power with a CPI of 2.7% and with prices of gasoline and electricity "that do not stop rising."

Díaz, in statements to RNE collected by Europa Press, has not wanted to reveal the content of the meeting he has held with Sánchez to talk about the SMI, but has made it clear that linking the loss of jobs with the increase in the minimum wage

"is a huge mistake "and" pure ideology "

.

"The data have shown the opposite (...)

The same courage

that we had in the Government with the deployment of pardons now has to be with people who are having a hard time. In 2023 we will not be judged by pardons. We are going to be judged by the people who are suffering and that is where we have to be, "he stressed.

The vice president recalled that the salaries agreed in the agreement are rising

between 1.5% and 1.8%

and that "it hurts" that SMI recipients are losing purchasing power because "they are the ones who need the most" help them. "We have raised it to

pensioners

, we have raised it to

public employees

(...) We cannot compete with a wage policy that is inappropriate for a relevant economy.

Let's be consistent, practically all the EU countries have raised wages in this crisis, "the vice president insisted. The minister, who said that she would summon the social agents to talk about this issue, also added that this issue of the SMI It is also "a factor of social tension" because it is "unfair", since it is not about workers with good collective agreements, but workers who constitute "the weakest link" in the chain.

THE ERTE WILL BE EXTENDED "WITHOUT PLACE TO DOUBTS"

In another vein, the vice president has guaranteed that "without a doubt" the temporary employment regulation files (ERTE) will be extended beyond September if necessary because "it makes no sense to drop" this system now.

Díaz believes that the effects of the pandemic on international tourism will "unfortunately" require a new extension of the ERTE and has indicated that before the end of September the Government and social agents will meet again "to give certainty" to companies and workers .

"I hope I can say that it is not necessary, but if necessary it will be deployed and hopefully I can appear to say that it is the last extension," said the minister, who recalled that in the labor market reform that is being discussed with the agents A structural mechanism is going to be implemented that will act in a similar way to the pandemic ERTEs to avoid layoffs in companies.

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Know more

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