The exorbitant rise in energy costs and the instability created by the war in Ukraine at all levels are already billing companies started. One of the clues in this regard is the submission of the Temporary Employment Regulation Files (ERTE), which has increased rapidly in the last month. While Alicante Regional Directorate of Labor processed 20 files in February without going any further, it increased to 49 files in March, while the regional directorate, which also collects requests from the province, increased from 13 to 32. The number of workers affected has also made a big jump. services and industry are seen as the most affected sectors.
According to information provided by the Ministry of Sustainable Economy, 20 ERTEs were submitted to the Alicante Regional Directorate of Labor in February, affecting a total of 416 workers. Well, the difference just one month later is more than significant, because number of files is 49, with a total of 656 employees. This jump is also evident in the case of the regional headquarters, which also includes files from the province of Alicante, although data disaggregated by region is not available. As a whole, this department included at least 10,896 employees, from 13 files for 796 workers in February to March 32.
Adding these numbers alongside the regional offices of Valencia and Castellón in the Valencian Community, it went from the total. From 69 files for 2,042 workers to 166 files for 13,851 workers in February. The hardest-hit sectors are services with 82 ERTE for 1,482 employees and industry with 80 for 12,095 last month. They are followed at a much greater distance by two files for 264 construction workers and also two for 10 agricultural workers.
Salvador Navarro, president of the Valencian Community Business Confederation, emphasizes that the approximately 4,000 affected people correspond to the Castellón ceramics industry, which is one of the most energy-intensive, but does not hide that the situation is delicate. for most industries. In his words, “22 out of 50 proposals we submitted to Generalitat to soften the impact were accepted, but it’s still a filter”. For the business manager, effective decisions must be made to reduce energy costs, and Spain and Portugal must be allowed to decide on their own “this is important. In any case, the state of uncertainty does nothing but cause. uncertainty and turmoil in the markets“.
According to Pepe Serna, president of the Valencian employers’ association, the textile industry in the province of Alicante is one of the industries most forced to collect files. The finishing sub-sector is experiencing electricity bills. “If ICO loans and repayment terms are not extended, we will attend closures“.