Afra Blanco se corona con su respuesta a Garamendi: se está compartiendo miles y miles de veces

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Afra Blanco’s Response to Antonio Garamendi on Reduced Working Hours

Introduction

Afra Blanco, a union leader, has given a strong response to Antonio Garamendi, the president of the CEOE (Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations), following his statement that the reduction in working hours proposed by the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy would amount to “giving” employees nearly 12 paid vacation days per year by decree.

Blanco’s Counterarguments

In an interview on “La Sexta Xplica,” Blanco challenged Garamendi’s claims, highlighting the issue of unpaid overtime hours and the resulting financial losses incurred by workers, the government, and the social security system:

  • “How do we refer to the 48% of overtime hours that employers fail to pay?”
  • “What do we call the 2.5 billion euros that employers withhold from workers for overtime work?”
  • “How do we describe the 692 million euros that the social security system loses due to unpaid overtime hours?”

Blanco also dismissed the claims that the proposed reduction in working hours is a “communist” measure, pointing out that similar policies have been implemented in countries such as Denmark, Germany, and Austria.

She emphasized the importance of social dialogue but questioned the sincerity of employers in adhering to it:

  • “How many general strikes have workers had to organize in response to unilateral government decisions?”
  • “Where was the business community when it came to upholding social dialogue?”

Blanco further highlighted the contrast between the timeframes given to employers compared to the rushed implementation of labor reforms in the past:

  • “Employers are given six months to negotiate a reduction in working hours, but Mariano Rajoy imposed severe cuts on workers’ rights with his 2012 labor reform in just 50 days.”
  • “Was that timeframe deemed sufficient by employers? Why didn’t they raise objections when the PP unilaterally reformed pensions?”

Conclusion

Blanco’s response has been widely shared on social media, with over 3,000 “likes” and 1,000 shares within two days. It has sparked a discussion on the importance of fair labor practices, the rights of workers, and the role of employers in maintaining a balanced social dialogue.