With the fatuous pomposity characteristic of La Moncloa since Pedro Sánchez is president, the Government and the social agents signed an agreement yesterday to extend the Temporary Employment Regulation Files (ERTE) due to force majeure, which were linked to the state of alarm, until June 30. This agreement will be incorporated into the decree that the Council of Ministers will approve today. The Executive expressly made business and union leaders travel to participate in an act that was also attended by several ministers, including the second vice president, Pablo Iglesias. All this shows the propaganda nature of a photo with which the Government of PSOE and Podemos tries to mask the dramatic escalation of unemployment. Added to this are the pressures exerted on companies. The Minister of Labor sent several messages to Antonio Garamendi, president of the CEOE, during the meeting of the executive committee of this organization to threaten to make ERTE more expensive for companies . The employers joined the agreement for social responsibility, but the harassment launched by the Government represents an inadmissible blackmail to companies, which are the engine of the productive fabric in our country.

It is true that the Executive agreed to make the ERTE mechanism more flexible , as requested by the employers. This benefits companies from various sectors. Especially tourism, by facilitating access to ERTE or unemployment benefits to permanent discontinued employees or seasonal workers. This conciliatory will of the Government is plausible, although it is evident that Sánchez needs to stage a climate of understanding with the social agents. First, because ERTEs make up real unemployment figures. And second, to reinforce its position before the EU in the event of a possible rescue request . However, social dialogue cannot become a swallow to impose the policies that Moncloa dictates. The anger and discontent of the businessmen is reasonable, and adds to the logical uncertainty due to the economic debacle caused by the coronavirus. As much as yesterday I was present at the event with businessmen and unions, what really scares a good part of businessmen and investors are the ideas that Iglesias is championing. While hiding the cost of the minimum income in the deficit plan and being unable to pay the benefit to all those affected by an ERTE, the coalition of socialists and populists threatens with an interventionist policy and with shooting public spending.

Social agreement is more desirable than ever given the severity of the economic damage. However, what Sánchez and Iglesias cannot pretend is to despise companies by imposing a rigid and inoperative work framework . In such a case, the only thing the government will achieve is to further aggravate the deterioration of the economy.

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  • Yolanda Diaz
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