“Quality of life”, “progressive gaze”, clear social priorities”, “stability”, “pride”. While the words of María Chivite, President of the Government of Navarra, in the debate on the situation of the Foral Community, were describing an exceptional socio-economic situation, the reading of the current mandate has been very different outside the walls of Parliament: As a result of a “common strategy of impoverishment of the working class” between the government and the employers, “poverty is becoming structural”, said Saioa Urriza and Endika Pérez, spokespersons for the Euskal Herria Charter of Social Rights.

Under the motto “For decent income and living conditions, stop the impoverishment”, dozens of people in the Charter meet in front of Parliament to announce the demonstration to be held on 19 November in all the capitals of Hego Euskal Herria. Pamplona will leave the Plaza del Baluarte at 17.30 a.m.

The table of claims presented by the letter contains a minimum wage of EUR 1,400 and a pension of EUR 1,260 guaranteed by the CPI; the publication of energy sectors to recognise energy as a fundamental right and to plan for the real ecological transition; a universal quality monitoring system, an increase in educational investment, the audit of public debt or the regularisation of all people. To achieve this, the Charter requires the Government of Chivite that “those who have the most pay more” a profound tax reform.

In his plenary address, however, the President stressed “Record affiliation in Social Security”. However, the unions ELA and LAB of the letter have put on the table the reality of the poor workers who hide behind this data, especially after the pandemic that the president of Navarra insisted on in his speech. Chivit has also acknowledged that the war between Russia and Ukraine has led to “hard months due to inflation” and that “there is much to do”, but without further concrete action.

According to Urriza, the situation is by no means an excuse for the authorities. In fact, official data confirm the “continued growth in the number of people at risk” denounced by the Charter: 14.7% of the Navarre population is in poverty, 2.4% more than before the pandemic, according to the AROPE rate.