The tsunami of water and mud with which the last DANA hit Valencia caused destruction unprecedented for decades in a region accustomed to bad weather. The Valencian economic fabric is now faced with a very complicated horizon for which The president of the CEV employers’ union, Salvador Navarro, demanded all the support of the public possible during a meeting yesterday with the Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díaz.
What measures were proposed to the minister?
A key point was the question of the Ertes, who worked during the Covid pandemic. Although we also clarified that this is a different situation, that there could be Eres here because of the hit it represents to many companies. We have requested that for cases of force majeure, one hundred percent of the contribution be covered by supplements from the central and regional administrations. We also asked that everyone affected by DANA be included, whether it is a company from municipalities like Paiporta or a company from Chiva or a transporter from Barcelona who was arrested here.
Were these proposals well received?
The minister came with the proposals made and, in this sense, the meeting went rather well, although in the case of Ertes the commitment not to lay off workers in three years will be included in the regulations.
Besides this work measure, what do Valencian businessmen consider most urgent?
We have requested a specific decree-law like that of La Palma for the volcano with financial and economic problems and which includes specific issues, notably infrastructure, because it will require several millions.
You have insisted these days on the fact that we were not yet aware of the scale of the disaster, can it be scaled now?
No, it’s still something impossible. Today we spoke with businessmen and companies who are focused on cleaning and are not yet considering manufacturing. It is still early, there are still many lost machines and products to know and throughout this week we will be able to better assess the situation. The land network is extremely damaged and according to the data transmitted to me, more than 80,000 private vehicles and 10,000 heavy goods vehicles have been destroyed.
What do Valencian businesses need to guarantee their survival in the face of a crisis of this magnitude?
For recovery, what we need is to have subsidized loans, and for financial entities to extend all loan maturities, not postpone them. Commerce and the self-employed will be one of the elements that will suffer the most. On Wednesday, we will have a meeting with the banks to discuss these immediate needs.
What infrastructure investments do you want this decree-law to consider?
This community has failed to benefit from adequate investment and infrastructure support many times, over many years and from different governments. I think we need to take the opportunity to rethink, for example, whether a second Valencia bypass is necessary. Precisely to avoid serious problems like those caused by cutting. Or investments in railways or those that the Hydrographic Confederation of Júcar should have made many years ago, which were investments in water as in the case of the tragic Poyo ravine. We must take advantage of the opportunity to configure new access points for Valencia.
Have they given deadlines to administrations to return to a certain normality and rebuild?
No, because we remain focused on what is fundamental, namely saving lives and finding the missing. It is difficult to see the apocalyptic images and dare to talk about deadlines.
Does the business world share the outrage emerging among those affected by DANA?
There is clearly a lack of coordination. Without a doubt, the protocols need to be reviewed because all coordination measures and information have failed. I was in Sedaví on Saturday at an institute bringing water, food and clothes. Of course, I understand the critical situation that the neighbors have experienced and are of course experiencing.
