Podemos's 'no' to the decree-law on Labor, promoted by Yolanda Díaz's ministry, has obvious effects on labor matters, especially for the unemployed and, at a political level, it shows the chasm that exists today with respect to purple formation, with the consequences that it can leave in the future. The non-validation of the decree, however, also leaves unintended consequences for the PNV, which sees its historical demand that autonomous labor agreements prevail over state ones.
The Jeltzales give top priority to this demand, which they negotiated in the fall before giving their 'yes' to Pedro Sánchez and which two years ago also led to the negotiation for the validation of the labor reform, then unsuccessfully. This is a maxim that they already defended, in pursuit of a Basque framework of labor relations, in the 90s and to which the two main Basque unions, ELA and LAB, give absolute relevance, a point to take into account if one takes into account The strength they have counts, especially in the case of the former.
The Basque nationalists did not want to make too much fuss after Podemos overturned the decree. They emphasize that this is one of the key points of the investiture agreement and believe that the Government is aware that they are not going to give up this demand, so they trust that a new decree from the Ministry of Labor can resolve this situation in a way fast. Otherwise, they say, the Executive would strain the relationship with the Jeltzales to the maximum.
“We are sure that the prevalence of regional agreements will be part of the legislation in any case,” said deputy Idoia Sagastizabal.
The importance of this demand is better understood if we look at the cases that occur today in the field of labor relations and the evolution of the legislation in this regard. The labor reforms of 2010 and 2012 favored prioritizing state agreements over regional or provincial agreements.
In 2017, however, the Basque unions closed an Interprofessional Agreement with Confesbak by which regional or provincial agreements would be prioritized. That agreement, however, did not have sufficient legal certainty and, in the event of an appeal, the companies had a good chance of the courts ruling in favor of the state agreements.
The decree that should have been approved this Wednesday provided sufficient legal certainty, also in the opinion of the Basque unions, for the regional or provincial agreements to prevail, with what this means from the point of view of improving conditions. labor of Basque workers. Not in vain, the differences in some sectors are abysmal and the prevalence of Basque agreements plays in favor of the interests of Basque workers.
Now, in the opinion of the sources consulted, any company that appeals the prevalence of a Basque agreement based on the 2017 Interprofessional Agreement will most likely have the support of the courts and will be able to apply, in the event that there is no company agreement signed with previously, state agreements.
With Basque politics on the verge of an electoral pre-campaign, the PNV cannot allow the key points of the negotiation for the investiture to remain a dead letter at the first opportunity, especially in the case of those agreements that affect citizens in day to day and in the material aspect, as is the case.
