Bilbao (EFE).- The general secretary of the UGT, Pepe Álvarez, hopes to soon have an agreement with the Government for the pension reform “very advanced or resolved”, in which, according to what he said, “for the first time in the history, Social Security is financed by entering more and not cutting pensions”.
Álvarez has participated in Bilbao in an assembly of UGT delegates from Euskadi and has said that he expects a “broad parliamentary consensus” for the approval of the reform.
He has asked the PP to “think of the pensioners and not of the political moment”, although this is “suggestive to continue wearing down the Government”.
Álvarez explained that, although there are some issues pending to be negotiated with the Executive, UGT agrees with the reform “on essential issues.”
there is no going back
He has defended that, for the first time, in the reform “there is no setback for pensioners, neither current nor future”, with the forecast of “balancing the system” from now to 2048.
“It is an agreement in which, for the first time in the history of Social Security in our country, instead of obtaining financing by cutting pensions, it does so by entering more”, he highlighted.
He has indicated that Social Security will increase its income by avoiding payments that it makes now and do not correspond to pensions, and with the “distop of contributions.”
Companies can take it
Faced with the opposition of the CEOE employers to the reform, the leader of the UGT has indicated that said stoppage is going to be “gradual” and the companies are going to “be able to gradually incorporate it into their income statements.”
He has stressed that it is a “structural” reform of the pension system and, in his opinion, those who criticize the measure are suggesting “cutting pensions”.
“An agreement checked by the European Commission, with some economic reports that are hardly questionable at the present time and with the forecast of reaching 2048, is not a patch,” Álvarez has defended.
“If someone has another alternative, explain it,” the UGT general secretary asked, before adding that “the alternative is to cut pensions, as the PP did in 2012.”
He explained that for his union there are still pending issues to negotiate with the Government, such as issues related to reducing the wage gap between women and men, increasing minimum pensions or the relief contract.
Álvarez has said that he hopes to close these issues at the meeting scheduled for this afternoon with the Government.
“The Government wants to solve it this week and we are not going to put any more impediments. We would like to include those issues, but we cannot miss the opportunity to put the agreement into action. Few times in history has there been such a positive agreement for workers and pensioners”, he added. EFE