Unions refuse to back down in the face of Congress's rejection of shorter working hours: "It will eventually be approved."

BarcelonaThe majority unions, CCOO and UGT, mobilized this Wednesday in the last attempt to prevent the Popular Party (PP), Vox, and Junts from completely defeating the Congressional process of the bill to reduce the working week to 37.5 hours. They did so with a series of calls throughout the State this morning and will continue with a protest at 4 p.m. in Les Corts Square in Madrid, very close to the Spanish lower house. If there is no last-minute change, the votes against these three parties will block the measure. Even so, the union organizations have made it clear that this will not make them give in and that the flagship proposal of the second vice president of the Spanish government, Yolanda Díaz, will end up being approved this term.

In Barcelona, ​​​​the rally to protest against the No The opposition of a majority in Congress to reduce working hours has been protested, precisely, in front of the headquarters of the employers' association Foment del Treball. The accusations from the main union leaders—who made a short visit to the Catalan capital for a few hours to attend the event— They have been very directed towards Junts to give in to the pressures of the Catalan employers' association. and ally with the Spanish far right and right on that front.

"It's clear that when money is on the table, flags, wristbands, and anthems take a backseat," lamented Unai Sordo, secretary general of the CCOO (Working Workers' Party), in statements to the media. The union leader asked Carles Puigdemont's party to listen to their constituents and recalled that, according to CEO surveys, 72% of this party's voters are in favor of reducing working hours. In fact, that same survey revealed that public support for this measure is widespread in Catalonia. "How is it possible that the party that championed the right to decide refuses to act on the wishes of its constituents?" Sordo asked. In this regard, he emphasized that, should the bill fail, the unions will demand a new one, as well as regulations to effectively control working hours to eradicate unpaid overtime.

The Secretary General of the UGT (General Union of Workers' Unions), Pepe Álvarez, also stated at the rally in Barcelona that this term, "the public will ensure the approval" of the reduction in the working week to 37.5 hours. "It's not a battle between the government and the opposition, as some make it seem, but between the majority of citizens and Congress," he criticized. In his opinion, it will be public opinion that will force the law back to the lower house and ultimately become a reality. "Catalonia will not understand the attempt to cover up and hide a debate that should be conducted with data and figures. The usual political lies are of no use," Álvarez added. Thus, she attacked Junts' arguments for voting against the bill: "Companies aren't going to close; this is the most stale discourse from the employers' association of 40 years ago."

The leaders of the two unions in Catalonia also participated in the event outside the Foment del Treball (Foment del Treball). The CCOO (Working Workers' Union), Belén López, demanded that Junts remove its "mask" and position itself in favor of a measure that is "good for the economy" and will stimulate the labor market in sectors where it is currently difficult to find staff precisely because of the long hours, such as the hospitality industry. "They will steal 10 hours a month from us to live better," López claimed. For his part, the general secretary of the UGT (General Workers' Union) in Catalonia, Camil Ros, emphasized that this Wednesday "we didn't win a battle" and recalled that unions eventually achieved other victories, such as increases in the minimum interprofessional wage (SMI) or the partial repeal of the PP's labor reforms. "We will achieve this. People are in favor of working less and earning more," he insisted.

What will be voted on this afternoon?

The plenary session of Congress will debate and vote this Wednesday on the amendments presented by the People's Party (PP), Vox, and Junts to defeat the Spanish government's plan to reduce the working week to 37.5 hours. These three parties have an absolute majority of 177 deputies, more than enough to overturn the flagship measure of Second Vice President and Minister of Labor Yolanda Díaz. Although these are three separate texts, there will only be a single vote, as all three parties agree on requesting the text be returned to the executive branch.

The PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) would have liked more time to negotiate the law, but Sumar (Sumar) decided to end the amendment period in June with the idea of debating it even before the summer. The Ministry of Labor was confident of reaching an agreement for Carles Puigdemont's party to withdraw the veto, but Junts confirmed on Monday that it will move forward with its intention to overturn it. Thus, the PP, Vox, and Junts will veto the bill's parliamentary processing, and it will be withdrawn from Congress. If the vote ultimately ends in defeat, both Vice President Díaz and the PSOE spokesperson in the lower house, Patxi López, have already announced that they will bring the bill back to Congress, although everything will be delayed because the process will have to start over from scratch with a new text.