Garamendi Criticizes Labor Minister Díaz for Politicizing Bereavement and Palliative Care Leave Extensions
Antonio Garamendi accuses Labor Minister Yolanda Díaz of politicizing new labor leave policies amid broader tensions on labor reform, immigration, and economic concerns.
- • Garamendi criticizes Díaz for announcing labor leave extensions without dialogue and sees it as a political campaign.
- • Díaz responds by urging seriousness and condemns trivialization of family suffering.
- • Garamendi advocates for Spain as a welcoming country with integration-focused immigration policies despite unemployment.
- • He expresses economic concerns about salary costs, public debt, and minimum wage policies impacting small businesses.
- • Garamendi regrets supporting labor reform given later government preferences for regional over national agreements.
Key details
Antonio Garamendi, president of the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations (CEOE), has sharply criticized Yolanda Díaz, Spain's Second Vice President and Minister of Labor, accusing her of using recent labor policy announcements as a political campaign tool. Speaking on Las mañanas de RNE, Garamendi expressed frustration that Díaz announced an extension of bereavement leave and the creation of a palliative care leave without prior consultation with the PSOE or through social dialogue. While not opposing the measures themselves, he emphasized the lack of clarity, especially regarding the familial ties qualifying for the new leave, and called for detailed discussions with unions and economic justifications for such policies (95206).
In response, Díaz accused Garamendi of trivializing the hardships families endure when caring for sick relatives and called for a more serious and respectful debate on these issues. Garamendi also criticized what he described as Díaz's populist style and personal attacks, referencing her previous remarks directed at Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo.
Beyond labor policies, Garamendi addressed immigration, advocating for Spain to remain a welcoming country despite its 2.4 million unemployed. He highlighted the need for more workers in diverse sectors, proposing contracts in immigrants' countries of origin and emphasizing the importance of integration for future generations.
On economic issues, Garamendi acknowledged positive growth and inflation trends but voiced concerns about rising public debt and salary costs, advocating that salary increases should benefit workers directly rather than be absorbed by taxation. He criticized the government's plan to maintain the minimum wage at 60% of the average salary, warning such policies may introduce uncertainty for small businesses. Reflecting on recent labor reforms, Garamendi admitted he would not have supported the agreement if he had anticipated government favoritism towards regional agreements over national ones (95206).
This article was synthesized and translated from native language sources to provide English-speaking readers with local perspectives.