Furlough scheme to continue till May 31
Employers and unions reach agreement, though discrepancy on interpretation remains
MadridWorkers and employers will be able to benefit from the furlough scheme until 31 May. Finally, employers' association CEOE has given the green light to the proposal of the Ministry of Labour to extend the furlough scheme (which expired on 31 January) until this date. As for the unions, they agree with the general lines of the agreement but maintain that there are some details that they "want to solve this Wednesday," said the general secretary of union CCOO, Unai Sordo, at a press conference.
This comment refers precisely to one of the main obstacles in the negotiation: the ban on dismissing workers in the six months after the end of the ERTE. Otherwise, companies will have to pay any money they saved on tax breaks through the furlough scheme. Employer sources confirm to ARA that they are just now negotiating with the government for a more specific interpretation of the clause. "We are still working on a proportionate interpretation of the clause according to the spirit of the agreement," the same sources point out
However, the unions confirm that the clause is identical to the one in the last agreement and its contents as well, although the technical cabinets of the unions are analysing it from a technical and legal point of view, as explained by the general secretary of union UGT, Pepe Álvarez. In fact, Labour Inspection itself had doubts about the wording of the regulations. Be that as it may, Álvarez has insisted that "there are no substantial changes as regards the fundamental contents of the extension".
Another novelty will be the simplification of the procedure. Companies will be able to speed up the process. For example, companies will not have to submit applications for workers already on furlough.
Throughout the State there are currently 755,610 workers on furlough, according to the latest Social Security data from December, despite the fact that at the peak of the pandemic more than 3.4 million workers were on furlough.
Concentrations on 11 February
The trade unions CCOO and UGT have called for the morning of February 11 to gather in front of all government delegations to demand an increase in the minimum inter-professional wage in 2021, as well as the elimination of the most harmful aspects of the current labour law. "Not only do we demand a process of discussion, but the country wants answers. We demand that economic resources be awarded, but also that legislative changes be made," Sordo said at a press conference.
