The President of the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations (CEOE), Antonio Garamendi, has advanced this Tuesday that the employers will not attend the dialogue table convened this Wednesday by the Government to address the increase in the Minimum Interprofessional Wage (SMI) and has indicated that the CEOE will respond in writing to the proposal of the Ministry of Labor.
According to collect Europe Press, Garamendi has pointed out that The CEOE will not attend the table and has stated that the employers signed “probably the most important agreement”which is the labor reform, and “by royal decree it has been planned to change article 51”, which returns control to the Ministry of Employment Regulation Files (ERE).
The president of the employers’ association has responded to questions from the media about whether he will sit this Wednesday at the dialogue table convened by the Government, after the committee of experts that advises the Ministry of Labor has recommended a fork increase in this income minimum for 2023 of between 4.6% and 8.2%, which would place the SMI at 1,046 euros gross per month for fourteen payments in the first case and 1,082 euros in the second.
“We are going to see what the board of directors says – which the CEOE celebrates this Wednesday -, in principle we want to see what happens with this issue, which seems very serious to us that the agreement be changed,” he told the media.
He has also insisted that The increase in the SMI is not an issue that is limited to social dialogue, but is “a government agreement after consulting the social partners.” In this sense, he has once again regretted having found out about the proposal “through the press” and has indicated that the CEOE is going to study it and “will reply in writing to what they have sent in writing.”
Likewise, during his speech at the event, asked about his “attunement” with the Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díaz, and the Minister of Social Security, José Luis Escrivà, the president of the employers’ association has assured that he is “the same as always”. , but he has stated that he has two differences with the Executive on the greater control of the Inspection in the ERE, “which modifies the labor reform and the pension reform”.
Regarding the first issue, he indicated that it will be addressed at the CEOE board of directors to be held this Wednesday and has focused on the fact that unions and employers have “left their hair on the cat flap” to achieve an “agreement for the future” that contribute “social peace, which is the best infrastructure a country has”.
In that sense, He has criticized Díaz changing article 51 of the same for a “political agreement”. “The agreement was the agreement. It is difficult to sit down to negotiate with someone who, when you have negotiated something so important, changes the agreement”, he has reproached.
During the meeting, Garamendi insisted that the minimum wage is the responsibility of the Government and not of social dialogue, so “it is not a matter of sitting down to negotiate.”
Garamendi has participated in a meeting organized by Cadena Ser in Valencia attended by, among others, the President of the Generalitat, Ximo Puig; the president of the PPCV, Carlos Mazón; the president of the CEV, Salvador Navarro; the general secretary of the UGT, Ismael Sáez, and the president of Mercadona, Juan Roig.
