The unions are clear: making dismissal more expensive until it becomes a deterrent will be one of the great workhorses they will fight for in this legislature. And, although there is still no Government formed, UGT has already launched a first concrete proposal to the future executive in this matter: establish a minimum compensation of six months for unfair dismissals.
This was announced this Wednesday by the general secretary of UGT, Pepe Álvarez, during an interview with Channel 24 hours, thus joining the demand that CC OO also recently made, although in this case without specifying the amount. “We are going to propose that in Spain the minimum dismissal be six months, in such a way that it effectively serves as an element that deters companies from abusing, as they are abusing, the dismissal of people who have been working for less time,” he warned.
UGT, therefore, urges us to take Italy as an example and set a minimum compensation of six months so that, at least, it represents a disincentive for short-term contracts, which continue to proliferate excessively in Spain despite the overpricing that imposed labor reform.
The debate about the cost of dismissal has been on the table again in recent months, especially since the acting second vice president, Yolanda Díaz, has promised to make it more expensive if she manages to remain in La Moncloa. Furthermore, it is worth remembering that the European Committee of Social Rights is pending a ruling on this matter following lawsuits filed by UGT and CC OO, which consider that in Spain unfair dismissal is too cheap and their compensation should be increased and also adapted to the personal situation of each worker, a kind of dismissal à la carte, which is what the acting Minister of Labor also defends.
In this complaint, UGT demands that the Committee take into account the personal and/or family circumstances of the dismissed person, when determining the amount of compensation for dismissal, such as age, sex, family situation. or the degree of training, understanding that the damage caused by dismissal is greater when the worker belongs to especially vulnerable groups, which have more difficulty finding a new job.
SMI of more than 1,200 euros
Álvarez also stressed that he will ask that the minimum interprofessional salary (SMI) actually rise to represent 60% of the average salary, which, taking Social Security, Tax Agency and Eurostat data as a reference, would place it above 1,200 euros per month. .
Likewise, he claimed that the weekly working day must be reduced to 35 hours in the new legislature, as a preliminary step to reaching the objective of 32 hours, and that it must be done by law.