January 26, 2022
It has been almost 2 years since the start of the pandemic, which had a significant impact on economic activity. The impact on employment was cushioned by temporary employment regulation schemes (ERTOs) and self-employment cessation of activity benefits. What is your assessment of this?
Catalonia and Spain as a whole have experienced what was probably the worst economic shock since the Civil War, when economic historians estimate that Spanish GDP fell by 26% in the first year of the conflict. Therefore, the scale of the GDP decline experienced in 2020 has few historical precedents. Fortunately, effective and well-known remedies were available, primarily the firm promotion of comprehensive public policies across the economy. You mentioned some very important measures, such as ERTOs or the self-employment cessation of activity benefit, but there are also others, such as the promotion of direct aid to the economic sectors most affected by the crisis, public investment to mitigate the most damaging effects of the pandemic, and the mobilisation of resources to boost relevant employment opportunities.
In this regard, I believe it is worth highlighting the importance of the public sector, both as a classic economic cycle buffer, in the most traditional terms of economic theory, and as a necessary condition for channelling the individual and collective efforts that the crisis demands of our society. But I also believe it is very important that we take good note of some of the situations experienced and learn lessons from them. In fact, to give an example, the ERTO mechanism should be a tool to be used regularly in the future in the face of significant economic shocks, allowing us to safeguard the business fabric and jobs. However, the instrument must also continue to be improved, by promoting training during the ERTO period, or its links with short, medium, and long-term investment. This way, a temporary difficult situation can be redirected towards improving the structural conditions of employment.
The way we have faced the impact of the crisis has been absolutely different from the previous crisis, which involved cuts. Now we have promoted public investment and aid to leave no one behind and also to face the technological changes that we, as a society, must confront. Nevertheless, we have a very important challenge as a government and a country: we cannot leave anyone behind.
The pandemic has also helped accelerate the digitalisation processes of companies and the implementation of teleworking. How do you assess the implementation of teleworking in Catalonia? Is it here to stay?
First of all, it might be worth making a small distinction. The extraordinary and urgent implementation of teleworking due to the pandemic is not the same as teleworking as a structural work system within workplaces. In fact, we all remember the first days of this work system being introduced in an accelerated, and often disorderly, manner, both in our own lives and in those of the people closest to us. In this sense, and although this implementation could obviously be more than perfectible, it is also fair to say that it served to respond to a complex situation, not only economically but also from a public health perspective. It is also true that it has become an opportunity for the digitalisation of many companies, which allows for a more careful implementation of teleworking in our society.
Now, in my opinion, we are in a new phase. Although teleworking may still be used circumstantially from a public health perspective, many companies and workers are already considering the possibility of making this work system structural in their labour relations. In this regard, although the “trial period,” if I may use the expression, has been turbulent, it has given us some clues as to what should and should not be done in its implementation. In fact, I believe there is broad consensus on the advantages and disadvantages of this work system, and in this sense, given that the regulation of teleworking has not been entirely satisfactory at the state level, it will be absolutely necessary to reach agreements between companies and workers’ representatives, employers’ associations, and trade unions, in order to specify the application of this work system, and in this, the Government of Catalonia will always play an active role. Because teleworking is here to stay, but it must be applied in a balanced, efficient manner, respecting everyone’s rights and duties, and with the greatest possible agreement. But also in harmony with those professions or sectors where this system will be difficult to apply.
On December 30, the Royal Decree-Law 32/2021 on labour reform was published in the Official State Gazette (BOE). What is your assessment of the measures aimed at combating temporary employment? What impact do you believe they will have on employment?
Having made this introduction, and now turning to the Labour Reform, I believe that despite my opinion on the matter being known, it would be unfair not to highlight the fact that the reform is the result of social dialogue, unlike the 2012 reform, or some of the specific issues that the Royal Decree addresses. For example, the recovery of ultra-activity, or the prevalence of sector agreements over company agreements regarding wages. However, we believe that this Labour Reform should go much further on issues such as prior administrative authorisation (which is a good lever for promoting industrial policy in our country), the possibility for the Government of Catalonia to promote RED mechanisms and not just be a decision with a view from the state capital, the recovery of processing wages, the strengthening of labour inspection, or a more decisive commitment precisely in terms of reducing temporary employment. That is why it will be very important for the project to be open to parliamentary debate and for its current wording to be improved.
Catalonia closed 2021 with 369,158 registered unemployed people. This is the lowest figure since September 2018, despite the pandemic. What are the causes? And what are the future forecasts?
As the interview has progressed, we have already discussed various issues. Some of them are closely related to this question. However, it is evident that the shock measures implemented in 2020-21 have been key to safeguarding employment and the business fabric of our country. And this fact has been a sine qua non condition for the recovery of employment. If, in addition to this, we add the hope generated by vaccines and the improved prospects regarding the pandemic that these have brought, a large part of our country’s current situation can be explained. However, I do not want to be triumphalist, as there are still clouds on the horizon stemming from rising prices, difficulties in raw material supplies, etc. In this sense, and although we are optimistic, in the short, medium, and long term, we must remain attentive to all the difficulties that may arise in the coming months.
We must continue working to generate new employment niches, but also to improve their quality and address the transformation in many economic sectors with a great impact on employment in our country, such as the automotive industry, among others. Work is a fundamental part of our societal model, and our moral obligation is to put all our effort into making this a lifelong reality, with dignified conditions. As Minister Bassa says, the best social policy is work, but quality work.
According to the latest self-employment study prepared by the CTESC, as of December 31, 2020, there were 522,630 self-employed workers in Catalonia. What measures does the Government promote to encourage and improve self-employment?
Although the number of self-employed individuals varies depending on the statistical source and the reference month, if we follow the latest available data, to ensure comparability across different periods, the number of self-employed people in Catalonia stood at 558,654 as of December 31, 2021. This represents an increase of almost 10,000 self-employed individuals compared to 2020 (a similar increase compared to 2019, given that the self-employed figures in 2019 were very similar to those in 2020). However, we cannot forget that 2020 and 2021 have been difficult years for the self-employed community. The emergence of the pandemic and its economic and social consequences have been very noticeable. That is why the Government of Catalonia has promoted a series of relevant measures to contain the temporary effects of the pandemic. Thus, measures such as the promotion of direct aid to different productive sectors and the self-employed workforce have served to significantly cushion the economic effect of the pandemic. In fact, it should be remembered that the Government of Catalonia has been the government that has mobilised the most COVID aid at the autonomous community level. Nevertheless, we would have liked to have even more resources for the productive fabric, and we are also aware that we must continue to promote policies in this regard, given that for a significant part of the self-employed community, the economic situation remains complex. I do not want to fail to highlight the effort made by the government regarding direct aid for the self-employed; we have reached 334,720 self-employed individuals with a total value of 659.586 million euros.
Everything explained so far refers to the more circumstantial aspects of the last two years. However, the Government of Catalonia has long been promoting far-reaching policies for the self-employed community, and although we do not have all the powers we would like in this regard, we try to advance in all areas. From promoting social concertation through the Self-Employment Council of Catalonia, to consolidation programmes for self-employed projects as a mechanism for resilience in complex times, but also for future projection in more favourable times, promoting training for the collective in the different key aspects of their daily lives, supporting new individuals registering as self-employed, generating alternative financing tools, or promoting high-impact sectoral policies for the collective.
Your professional career has always been linked to labour relations, first from the trade union sphere and now from the Government. How has your perspective changed?
Well, the perspective changes when you gain a more transversal view, which the government allows. But the will to serve has always been a very important part of my character. Now it’s my turn to be in a political responsibility, but this will be for a time, and my commitment to the will for change and to work for the common good will continue.
Autoocupació’s motto is ‘I am what I want to be.’ Are you?
Well, I believe that at all times we must be where we can contribute the best of ourselves, but always working as a team.
