Valladolid (EFE).- The Economic and Social Council of Castilla y León has urged to resume the path of Social Dialogue, and the normal development of instruments such as the labor mediation service (SERLA) to persist on the path of growth pursued in 2022 , according to the report presented this Wednesday.
“We must resume the Social Dialogue established in 2008 by the Castilla y León Statute of Autonomy for economic progress and social cohesion, with compliance with all its agreements and their extension”, explained the president of the CES, the Professor Enrique Cabero (University of Salamanca).
Resilient Society
Castilla y León “is lucky to have very generous, supportive social, economic, business and union organizations that articulate a very resistant society”, he pointed out as a general conclusion of the 2022 Report on the economic situation of the community, with 1,530 pages. of 581 recommendations.
The strength of society, which after years of pandemic is now facing inflation derived from the war in Ukraine, is the main characteristic of this report, the first after the covid-19 health crisis: “The social fabric, through Through strong organizations, it has responded very well”, he specified.
“But now we have to take care of it and for that Social Dialogue is necessary, society demands it as well as the consolidation of SERLA as a great instrument to facilitate the operation of companies, the protection of the rights of employees and the reduction of costs in conflict resolution”, he added.
Economic improvement
After years of pandemic, throughout 2022 the economy and employment in Castilla y León “have worked reasonably well because society is much stronger than we sometimes think”, which is why at the end of this period of crisis the The results “have been better than we expected.”
“We have not entered a recession and during this 2023 we continue to grow, albeit moderately, and employment as well”, added the president of the CES before attributing this situation, to a large extent, to the entry into force of the labor reform in 2022, the year covered by this report, which has been unanimously approved.
Room for improvement in equality and youth employment
However, among the 581 recommendations is the need to continue advancing in equality, youth employment, balance between territories and more attention to other communities”, he has glossed.
By sectors, the most relevant analysis has focused on the agricultural sector, with special attention to the episode of prolonged drought and the urgency of measures to alleviate its effects, an unprecedented crisis that has also been echoed by the professional agricultural organization Asaja , a participant in the report, and who has appreciated the inclusion of his recommendations in it.
Agriculture and livestock: vital for GDP
The agricultural sector “is essential for the GDP and the structure of the territory of Castilla y León”, hence the extreme need for measures against drought and to invest “in new irrigation infrastructure not to spend more water but to make its use profitable”. , he has pointed out.
Among the “post-pandemic opportunities” that must be taken advantage of, in Cabero’s words, he mentioned the renewable energy sector, especially green hydrogen “which must have a direct impact on the territory.”
In the case of industry, the report notes that Castilla y León “is an autonomous community that is more industrial than we are aware of”, so “we must take advantage of its opportunities”, as in the service sector, from digitization and artificial intelligence.
strategic situation
Tourism, transport and logistics must make the most of the strategic geographical situation of Castilla y León, mainly from the Atlantic Arc, while in terms of social services “an effort must be made to modernize with the help of new information technologies and communication (ICT), has continued.
From the health system, according to the diagnosis, “we have to learn from what has happened with the pandemic”, mainly through the reinforcement of Primary Care.
Finally, among other recommendations, the CES has highlighted the need to “definitively resolve” the structure of the territory so as not to lose more population, and strengthen academic and university training, more employment-oriented, so that young people “see Castilla y León as an ideal place to work, live and not only to study”. EFE