Aragonès takes advantage of the 1st of May to urge the formation of an "imminent" government to respond to social and labour demands
The Government's vice-president defends activating self-government to move forward with measures such as a minimum wage as a reference point for Catalonia
BarcelonaWith no imminent agreement to form a government with JxCat in sight, the acting vice-president, Pere Aragonès, has taken advantage of the day of protest on 1 May to once again put pressure on his current partner in the Generalitat to reach an "imminent" pact. "The workers' struggle has to have the country's institutions on its side", Aragonès defended at the ERC event in front of the monument to Francesc Layret in Barcelona, which has been under water. This Saturday is the deadline that the Republicans set a week ago, in an interview in the ARA, before considering other scenarios of a pact with the party of Carles Puigdemont (such as a solo government of the Republicans), but Aragonès has avoided making references to it in his speech.
The republican vice-president's speech has focused on the urgency to form a Government that works "at full capacity" to respond to the social and labour demands that, precisely, this 1 May will be heard on the streets in the demonstrations that have been called throughout the country. Aragonès has assured that ERC has "worked" so the agreement with the pro-independence forces comes "the sooner the better" and in a "quick" way, to respond to the "pro-independence majority" that emerged from the 14-F polls.
The republican leader considers it essential to "set in motion" all the country's institutions in order to have the "tools" that will serve to establish, for example, a "minimum wage of reference for Catalonia", a new industrial policy for Catalonia, tackle problems such as the "precariousness" of young people, promote a new "framework of labour relations" to improve the conditions of all workers, as well as promoting a change in the regulations on foreigners. "Rights are in a hurry. They call on us to put all the instruments and all the institutions of our country into action without further delay", he said.
