Feijóo participated today in the 44th Confederal Congress of the UGT in Barcelona and became the first president of the PP to speak in a conclave of the workers’ organization, a circumstance to which he alluded in his speech. “Perhaps some present are wondering what the president of the People’s Party is doing in this congress,” the opposition leader began. “For me, attending a UGT congress is not playing outside,” he then responded to the applause of the participants.
The PP leader gave a speech of about 10 minutes in a conciliatory tone before transmitting 10 “very quick” thoughts to the union. Among them, He asked the UGT to help him “unblock” his conciliation lawwho is at the table of Congress, and has renewed its “commitment” to “pension growth”.
And, after reviewing his relations with the trade union world during his political career, he admitted that he hoped to “sign” agreements in the future with the general secretary of the UGT, Pepe Álvarez. It was then that the general secretary of the UGT Catalonia, Camil Ros, took up the challenge and urged him to pave the way for a reduction in the working day.
“It is true that he cannot yet sign any agreements, but A favorable vote or an abstention on the reduction of working hours would be a good thing. It wouldn’t be bad for us,” he said with a laugh after Feijóo’s intervention, sitting next to CCOO Secretary General Unai Sordo and CEOE President Antonio Garamendi.
Taxation, housing and pensions
Throughout his speech, which was received with apparent satisfaction by the plenary session, Feijóo made no reference to the reduction of working hours, although he defended the hour banks and work schedules. flexible work. At the same time, he warned that “economic triumphalism is a mistake that we will all pay for” because “underestimating the data on poverty, unemployment and the reduction in the purchasing power of workers” means abandoning those who have the no longer needed.”
He attacked the government’s current tax policy, which “does not benefit the well-being, above all, of the middle classes and the poorest classes”, and illustrated this opinion by the refusal of the Ministry of Finance to deflate the tax . on Personal Income Tax (IRPF). He further criticized the fact that the State continues to “mortgage future generations” with the issuance of public debt, as well as the “legal uncertainty” caused in the last six years, during which he highlighted that the General State Budgets (PGE) have only been approved three times .
He alluded to the difficulties of accessing housing and lamented that “most young people perceive the real risk of living worse than their parents” because “they live in a perfect storm of unemployment, precariousness and high prices”.
He ratified his “commitment” so that the amount of pensions continues to increase, at the same time as he defended public health, “one of the greatest achievements of society”, in the face of “arbitrary decisions” of the government which compromise “the viability of the national health system”.
Against polarization
And he asked for the support of the UGT to “unblock” his conciliation law because workers “must extend maternity and paternity leave to 20 weeks” and demand “free nursery schools throughout Spain and greater work flexibility to care for children”.
At the political level, he reiterated that Spain needs “The majorities are once again making the big decisions in our country” after “a long period in the hands of minorities”. At the same time, he opted for social dialogue and displayed his refusal to “contribute to the confrontation” between employers and unions.
“The so-called polarization of society must not go that far, I ask economic agents to continue at the tables of social dialogue,” he declared before defending that his “only ambition is to defend general interests” and to “make the right decisions you have”. can adopt.
“We need state policies and to live up to our people, governments are there to serve and they never stop serving themselves,” he added, which constitutes an attack against the executive of Pedro Sánchez in light of the latest information on the “Koldo”. case’.
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