Together leads the Spanish government to its first defeat: it maintains its 'no' vote on reducing working hours.

BarcelonaTwo days before the debate in Congress on the reduction of working hours, Junts remains in the No and continues to defend its comprehensive amendment to the flagship bill of Second Vice President and Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díaz. This is what Míriam Nogueras informed Secretary of State and Díaz's deputy, Joaquín Pérez Rey, in a meeting they held this Monday, according to sources from the Ministry of Labor. In the morning, Junts spokesperson Josep Rius had already made it clear that he was against withdrawing the amendments and repeating a string of arguments against the measure of moving to a 37.5-hour week across the board: "We are where we were, and if there is any new development, we will let you know," he said, referring to one issue in particular.

At a press conference, Rius even accused Sumar of having "made a mistake in the spokespersons' meeting that has meant it has to negotiate quickly." This has meant that the vote on the entire bill is now being held this week and not later, with more time for negotiation. The regional leader sought to clarify that his party wants "people to have more time for family life and leisure, but not at the cost of losing jobs and closing businesses," and that, at this point, the Ministry of Labor has not presented them with "any proposal that could include salary increases without jeopardizing the future of companies." He also sought to clarify the alleged direct negotiations between Díaz and the former president of the Generalitat and regional leader, Carles Puigdemont, describing them as mere "occasional messages," since "the negotiations are being conducted by the team in Madrid." The Spanish minister had assured La Sexta that she was maintaining a direct line with the former president to address the issue: "Yes, I am speaking with Puigdemont, and I'm not lying," she went so far as to say.

Likewise, Díaz urged caution when predicting the final outcome of the vote on this matter and has not yet taken defeat for granted: "They didn't reveal their vote. I don't know if it will be accepted. What Juntos is saying is that they haven't revealed their vote," she insisted. It is true that Rius has not discussed the direction of the vote nor explained any breakdown in the talks—which are ongoing—but he has maintained the overall amendment that the Junts group registered last May. "I have not anticipated the position at all; I wanted to confirm different things about how we always negotiate," the spokesperson for Puigdemont's party explained.

The race against time means Díaz is not throwing in the towel, arguing among herself that "the citizens want this measure." Nor has she been particularly negative about the possibility that Junts inflicts this umpteenth parliamentary debacle on the Spanish executive, which depends on the votes of the pro-independence parties. "I will continue working the next day," he said, although he reiterated that if the vote is lost, the ones who lose the most are "the working people of this country," with a warning: "The citizens know how each party is voting."

Counterargument

Although Junts continues to negotiate, and Díaz and Puigdemont have even exchanged messages on the matter, reluctance persists. Therefore, Rius has been emphatic in reiterating the reasons that lead them to oppose the measure: "There is a risk with reducing working hours: that by trying to reduce them, many workers could go from 40 hours to 0, which could lead to the closure of many companies." Junts members emphasize that small and medium-sized businesses make up the bulk of Catalonia's productive fabric and that it is necessary to adapt to Catalonia's unique characteristics. This is due, among other things, to some of the compensation the party is requesting, but also because a measure such as reducing working hours should be applied sectorally, depending on the specific circumstances.

The Comuns (Spanish Communist Party) have also joined the pressure on Junts, but with a harsher tone: their spokesperson, Aina Vidal, has urged Junts members to withdraw their amendment in its entirety, arguing that preventing it from being processed this Wednesday so that it can enter the debate in Congress would be "a slap in the face to public debate and to democracy itself." The PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) spokesperson, Montse Mínguez, has expressed herself in the same vein, stressing that "it will not be a defeat for the Government" if it does not go ahead: "The parties that oppose this measure will have to explain it," she concluded, adding that "an attempt will be made."