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 call for general elections on November 29th 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 election campaign serves to "place the productive economy and SMEs at the center of the political debate." In a statement, the organization presided over by Antoni Cañete demanded that "the political situation does not sideline the reforms needed by the productive fabric."

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 objective, Cañete's team has set a series of priorities, in line with the demands for SMEs that they have been conveying to the administrations for months. Among other issues, the association highlights the reduction of bureaucracy, measures against absenteeism, or fiscal policies 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 intervention during the employers' association awards gala, Cañete warned that "63% of companies say they have difficulties filling job vacancies, and one of the causes is that many people cannot access housing near their place of work". In the same speech, the president of Pimec had already called for a "broad, stable and lasting" agreement on housing.

In this regard, 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 proceed within the normality that we all desire in democracy".

Avoid "gridlock"

The state's majority unions, in turn, have called for the mobilization of the electorate ahead of the elections. The general secretary of Comisiones Obreras, Unai Sordo, has announced that the organization will promote participation to "strengthen political majorities that look out for the rights of the working class." Sordo attributed the electoral call to the deadlock in the Congress of Deputies that some essential measures of the Sánchez executive have faced, such as the two housing decrees. A regulatory halt that he lamented, because "when there is a deadlock in the General Courts, those who suffer most are the people who need politics the most."

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 in statements to Cadena SER, such as those implemented since 2018. Beyond looking back at the last legislatures, the union leader has demanded that the campaign focus on "the problems of the citizens," both regarding housing and the labor situation and wages.