We workers must not pay the crisis

The economic and social crisis worsens with almost three million temporary unemployed workers.

By Rodrigo Barbeito Y Flor Carral

In late April, more than a month and a half after the state of alarm began in the entire Spanish State, the situation of many families is getting worse. With about 3 million workers in ERTE and with an unemployment rate of 14,4%, urgent lack of solutions and responses overwhelms families.

In "normal" situations workers who are unemployed receive its benefits the 10 of each month, but to day 29 April almost 90% of the workers affected by ERTE and unemployed due to this situation have not yet received a only penny. How is the situation of those who cross is difficult situation? Then, we share the reflections of a worker affected by ERTE in the Valencian Community.

"It is not very difficult for workers to imagine and solidarity with those who have difficulties in circumstances normal. In the midst of a global pandemic where circumstances are far more complex the Spanish coalition government far from facilitating things to the working people, choose to preserve the “forms” with the business class Spanish and European. More of 3 millions of workers the State are today in the ERTE. This type of Suspension of the contract is part of the brutal labor reform imposed by the previous PP government with M. Rajoy at the helm and that this government of The coalition promised to repeal as soon as it assumed it and has not done so. Today the vast majority of the working class is affected by this situation in a context where the entire community (except essential services) has been subjected to mandatory isolation.
This instrument of labor flexibility has been agreed with the centrals treacherous workers UGT and CC.OO. for what "Speed ​​up" by carrying out the procedure only between employers and government,  and in this way the workers will not not even participate in the process of a personal procedure, unaware that percentage of their salary they will receive, nor when will the payment. While the interlocutors used by the government are not clear to the time to communicate the necessary information, while all the steps you take the government is always accompanied by a small print, this situation that has generated can only cause great anguish and uncertainty in the people employee. That's not to mention the people who are in this situation of isolation, and today you have to fire a friend or family member of a victim of the crisis generated by COVID-19.

It should also be mentioned that this whole situation has exposed the lack of transparency of the employers. In many cases labor contracts are not fulfilled, for example, workers who have contracts 20 hours and perform 40 weekly hours, for which they receive part of their salary in black, which decreases your ERTE payment, since for the calculation only the quoted part will be taken into account, a real misery.
No real measures have been taken on rents either, that this government had also promised to review. The shortcomings are many and the patches are not enough, the situation is really dramatic with a bleak outlook for the working class. Sánchez, after repeatedly prolonging the alertness, announcement that nonessential workers will have to return hours not worked during isolation. One more example of the lack of sensitivity and enormous empathy of this government. ”

…the construction of a new political and union alternative becomes more necessary, left, that defends the working class and not the employers.

With a high unemployment rate due to the pandemic, with union centers that defend employers and government instead of workers, with a government that disguises itself as progressive while calling for unity with the right and the extreme right that attack elementary rights, the output we need the workers will not come from any of them. For sample a button is enough, at the beginning of the crisis were the directions of the UGT and CC.OO. who facilitated the task for the government to send workers to ERTE instead of employers taking over, no layoffs, no salary cuts. Then they asked that the workers try even harder to get out of this crisis and now it is the UGT itself that is denounced for taking advantage of the ERTE to send part of its staff to temporary unemployment.

That is why the construction of a new political and union alternative is becoming more and more necessary., left, that defends the working class and not the employers. While we invite you to build it, We consider that, despite the confinement, our claims must not be silenced, we must express ourselves, today will be on the balconies, but the street is the land in which we must meet again so that we are not the workers who pay the broken dishes of this crisis.