Less than two months for government to re-certify unemployment benefit reforma change in connection with the fourth payment European recovery funds A payment of €10,021 million is a payment that could be put at risk if delayed.
The deadline ends on 20 March, the date set by the European Commission to assess milestones regarding the fourth payment, which Spain requested on 20 December; This comes days before Congress repeals the reform bill by voting against PP, Vox. and Podemos.
Two months are usually given for these evaluations, but Brussels increases the number of holidays to three It is understood that unemployment benefits will also be included if it arrives on time.
Spain could be given more time and this could be extended by more than three months because, in principle, community rules allow this if there is an agreement with the country in question.
Another option is a partial payment that reduces milestone non-compliance, although the community manager is the economic vice president. Valdis Dombrovskis, He said it was too early to talk about this possibility.
Labor will negotiate with social actors first
The Ministry of Labor had called on employers and unions to negotiate the reform on Monday, January 29, but the meeting was postponed for a week because Labor Minister Joaquín Pérez Rey, who usually negotiates with social actors, accompanied the meeting. to Mexico to the second vice president, Yolanda Díaz.
The Labor Party’s intention is to consider this reform with the help of social representatives, based on the text adopted by the Congress. then seek the necessary parliamentary support.
Government decree law It expanded the scope of the subsidy to groups that had been exempt until now, such as those under 45 years of age and those without family responsibilities.
In addition, it was increased from 480 euros to 570 euros for the first six months, and from 540 euros for the next six months, with the first 180 days being eligible to work.
But, Reform reduced excessive pricing Social Security Support provided to citizens over 52 years of age, It was implemented in 2019 to prevent this group’s future pensions from being particularly damaged.
Since 2019, this benefit has been awarded each year at 125% of the minimum base, equivalent to the applicable minimum interprofessional salary (SMI). The reform gradually adjusted this overpayment until it reached 100% of the SMI in 2028.
This point caused vote against five MPs to be and tipped the balance in favor of no.
Social dialogue sources are aware of the complexity of redirecting the negotiation and managing to overcome the political obstacle that this reform opens with Podemos; This factored into the fact that it would not negotiate any cuts.
Labor is advocating for maintaining a plan that was achieved by consensus within the government after months of talks with the government. Ministry of Economy.
In 2018, the SMI was 735.9 euros per month and, as the second vice-president Yolanda Díaz put it, a “legal fiction” had to be created to alleviate the differences compared to the contribution of average salaries, which no longer exists.
Díaz illustrated that an active worker receiving 20,000 euros a year contributes less than a 52-year-old subsidy recipient; This situation had to be corrected in a way that did not discourage employment.
Faced with this, Podemos insists that this represents a cut in the contributions of these people, which will be reflected in a reduction in the pensions they receive.