Three days after the altercation and the tensions experienced in Paiporta, during the king’s visit to ground zero of the DANA disaster organized by the royal family, Felipe VI summoned the employers and unions to the Zarzuela Palace. Social agents, a symbol of the capacity for understanding, particularly during the COVID emergency, were summoned this Wednesday to a meeting with the Head of State. Even if the public focused on the “content”, on the damage and emergencies left by the disaster, the “need for unity” and escape from the political battle also occupied a large place, explains We like this media from a social point of view. agents.
“The business world has come to an understanding with the world of institutions and, in any case, to ask for unity. I think this is the key: leave politics aside, society demands something else,” declared Antonio Garamendi, president of the CEOE employers’ union, after the meeting with the monarch this morning.
The business delegation present at the meeting with Felipe VI included the president of the CEOE, Antonio Garamendi, the president of CEPYME, Gerardo Cuerva, the president of the ATA, Lorenzo Amor, and the president of the Business Confederation of the Valencian Community (CEV). , Salvador Navarro, the president of CEV Valencia, Eva Blasco, the president of CEOE Castilla-La Mancha (CECAM), Ángel Nicolás, and the vice-presidents of CEOE, Alejandra Kindelán (AEB banking association) and Mirenchu del Valle (insurance (UNESPA association); as well as the president of the CEOE Foundation, Fátima Báñez.
“What you claim [la sociedad] It’s that we all together, all of us, there’s no one left, really, let’s get to work. Not just today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow and next year. Because it will take time,” insisted Antonio Garamendi.
For their part, the leaders of the majority CCOO and UGT unions, Unai Sordo and Pepe Álvarez, held their meeting with Felipe VI in the afternoon. “I think that it is above all the moment of unity”, recognized the leader of the UGT, who added that Spain must demonstrate that it is “a State which can and must respond to the needs of the people affected by DANA”.
The majority unions and employers’ associations called yesterday for a 10-minute strike in all workplaces across the country in “solidarity” for DANA, next Friday, November 8, at 12 p.m. In the appeal, they also mention the need for “unity.”
“Lesson” of unity in the face of political tensions
Various employer and union sources consulted emphasize that the meetings with the monarch were very focused on “content”, in which Felipe VI took note of the needs and concerns that the social agents detected for the DANA. All the organizations emphasize the extent of the damage and the need for a national strategy to deal with the damage and then be able to revitalize the area after the disaster caused by DANA.
The business leader mentioned the first aid plan approved Tuesday by the Government, amounting to 10.6 billion euros, which he valued, while emphasizing that “more” will surely be needed. “I want to clarify something: It’s not COVID. At the end of Covid, the businesses were impeccable, impeccable… There is no economy here, everything has been devastated,” underlined the CEOE president.
However, when questioned by the media, the leader of the employers’ union did not want to criticize the executive. “If I ask for unity, I will not start by criticizing. There are measures, it may be necessary to take more, but when they arrive”, he indicated. “From the point of view of the measures, I am not in the criticism, I am rather in the opinion that we will evaluate them and logically, we will collect more,” declared the leader of the employers’ union.
This constructive spirit, based on “unity” and “social dialogue”, was also defended by the general secretaries of the CCOO and the UGT, and was one of the distinctive flags of social agents during the emergency of the coronavirus, against political parties who are often in disagreement and unable to reach agreements.
Since then, political tension has only increased, both inside and outside Parliament. With extreme examples, such as the complaint announced by Vox against the government and the very defenses of the attack against Pedro Sánchez in Paiporta, but also with weak messages against the violence of the Popular Party of Alberto Núñez Feijóo, who however moderated his tone in these last days, after what happened in Paiporta.
Social agents consider that this “lesson” of social agents during COVID, as leaders of agreement and collaboration in times of emergency and crisis, continues and is not foreign to anyone, including the Royal Household , which after the climate of tension and tension. in Paiporta, it was decided to meet with employers and unions.
In this sense, Unai Sordo called on the government to deploy “a great social shield”, with more measures than those already approved in this first package, and to implement them as quickly as possible through “social dialogue”. “We expressed the need to reactivate a process of social dialogue, which bore many fruits during the previous crisis. It’s time to execute,” insisted the CCOO leader.
