Pimec demands to "place the productive economy at the center" of the electoral campaign

BarcelonaThe announcement by the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, of the dissolution of the Cortes and the calling of general elections for next November 29 has put the country's productive fabric on alert. The Catalan association of small and medium-sized enterprises, Pimec, has demanded that the main parties ensure the upcoming electoral campaign serves to "place the productive economy and SMEs at the center of the political debate." In a statement, the entity presided over by Antoni Cañete demanded that "the political situation does not leave the reforms needed by the productive fabric in the background."

In the eyes of Pimec, the parties running in the electoral contest should make "concrete, realistic, and executable proposals" to boost business competitiveness and the growth of companies, especially small and medium-sized ones. With this goal, Cañete's team is setting a series of priorities, in line with the demands for SMEs that it has been conveying to the administrations for months. Among other issues, the association highlights the reduction of bureaucracy, measures against absenteeism, or tax reforms that favor investment.

Housing

It also focuses on the housing crisis, and calls for "policies that facilitate access to housing and the attraction and retention of talent". In a recent speech during the employers' association awards gala, Cañete warned that "63% of companies have difficulty filling job vacancies, and one of the reasons is that many people cannot access housing near where they work". In the same speech, the president of Pimec had already called for a cross-cutting pact for housing that is "broad, stable and lasting".

In this sense, the association of small and medium-sized enterprises has called for "responsibility from all political forces to ensure stability" and the proper functioning of the economy. They have announced that they will soon convey their proposals for the legislature to the parties, and will ask them that "the electoral debate incorporates the real needs of SMEs and self-employed people".

For its part, the Spanish employers' association CEOE has shown itself open to "working with any government that emerges from the polls". Sources from the business confederation presided over by Antonio Garamendi have shown "respect for the decision" taken by Sánchez, and trust that "the process that is now beginning will take place within the normality that we all desire in a democracy".

Avoiding "deadlock"

The majority unions of the State, in turn, have called for the mobilization of the electorate ahead of the elections. The general secretary of Workers' Commissions, Unai Sordo, has advanced that the organization will promote the vote for options that "strengthen political majorities that look after the rights of the working class". Sordo has attributed the electoral call to the blockade in the Congress of Deputies that some essential measures of the Sánchez executive have encountered, as is the case of the two housing decrees. A regulatory standstill that he has lamented, because "when there is a blockade in the General Courts, those who suffer the most are the people who need politics the most". Even so, the union leader has assured that Workers' Commissions "will continue with the itinerary of mobilizations" planned for the coming months.

The general secretary of the UGT, Pepe Álvarez, for his part, has praised the government action of the Sánchez executive, especially regarding its "legacy" in labor matters, which he considers "immense". "Never in Spain have such important changes been made for the social majority of this country", defended Álvarez, like those executed since 2018. Beyond the memory of the last legislatures, the unionist has demanded to focus the campaign on "the problems of the citizens", both regarding housing and the labor situation and wages.