- The trade unions ELA, LAB, Steilas, ESK, Etxalde, CGT and CNT have, by 1 December, called for demonstrations against the labour and pension reforms being prepared by the Spanish Government and in favour of "sovereignty for a dignified life".
"European funds are becoming the sword of Damocles and that cannot be allowed in any way," said the majority of trade unions in Hego Euskal Herria in a hearing to call demonstrations on 1 December. As you have explained, the Spanish Government has as an "indispensable condition" for achieving the second part of the transfer of these funds the pension reform so that "the new men dressed in black give it the green light".
In the case of the pension reform, they have denounced that the bill provides for cuts in early retirement and that the minimum pension of EUR 1,080 is not guaranteed. On labor reform, they said, they are "even darker", but they thought they wanted to move the scope of labor agreements outside Euskal Herria. In this sense, they have stated that the institutions of Hego Euskal Herria "do not want to know anything" about this "real" change of the model.
On 1 December a day of mobilisation in the capitals and counties for decent working conditions was called. Labour and pension reforms are not. Under the slogan Sovereignty for a dignified life. They have also joined the mobilization called by the Pensioners' Movement of the Basque Country for this Saturday in Bilbao.
Pensions 6% less
The reform of pensions proposed by the Spanish Government will mean a cut for the citizen who is currently on the regulated labour market and who retires. As agreed by Madrid with Brussels, as a condition for receiving European funds, the deadline for calculating pensions is extended and could go from the last 25 years quoted to 35, although it is not yet fully defined.
The economist Niko Cuenca explained in the ETB1 EGUNON Euskadi programme that some calculations have already been made of the cutbacks that will occur in this measure: "Pensions would fall by 6% or 6.3% in that 35 year period," he explained, adding that in the case of the self-employed, the damage would be even greater, with a reduction of 10%.
In the vote on the reform of the petitions, the position that the representatives of the parties of Hego Euskal Herria will hold in Madrid remains to be seen. In this sense, ELA Secretary General Mitxel Lakuntza said on Thursday in the Basque Country Irratia that "it is in the hands of the PNV and EH Bildu" to paralyze the reform with votes.