The president of Pimec, Antoni Canete (Barcelona, 1963), warning of difficult times for the economy as of September. He urges administrations to take measures to avoid a stagnation of activity and calls for incentives for SMEs in difficulty to merge and gain size and resistance.
Has Pimec raised the fees for its partners?
We uploaded them at the beginning of the year a 3%taking as reference the forecast of CPI underlying back then. We understand that the data is temporarily inflated, because the energies press a lot. Referencing yourself in the raw data of the IPC is shooting yourself in the foot. And with this increase we raise salaries, 3% for the lowest salaries and 2% with the option of another point depending on productivity for the highest. To be consistent, because we think that salaries have to go up, yes, but linked to productivity.
Half of the large companies increased profits in full rise in the CPI, is it the case of SMEs?
No, clearly not. Not only have they not increased, but the problem of SMEs is that they are losing their margins. A complicated autumn is coming, we are already detecting cases. An industrial company for which the rise in Energy they have eaten all the margin. Another bicycle to which sales have fallen. Another campsite, which bills more but has doubled the expenses… There are SMEs, the largest ones, that may have behaved like a large company. But the vast majority of SMEs are micro-enterprises and they are suffering.
“SMEs are not increasing their profit margins, on the contrary”
Will the rise in inflation have a greater impact than covid?
There is a growing volume of SMEs that are having increasingly worrying levels of debt. In 2008 This was key, because those who borrowed the most did not survive. When we return from vacation what we will find is that a very large group of SMEs will join them for the return of the ICO credits, the loss of margins and a lower demand -because there will be a lower consumption capacity in the families-. And these companies will have to make proposals to remain viable.
Does that mean restructuring and layoffs?
Yes. We have to start thinking about mechanisms to facilitate the merger of companies, so that SMEs gain in size. We must try to ensure that the workers retain their job and a salary decent, but we have to prioritize economic activity. Because without economic activity there are no taxes and the country cannot make social or health policies. We come from a period in which we have been… I don’t know if they are anesthetized, but with conditions that we now have to manage.
During the covid the ertes worked, will they be enough now?
Welcome all the labor reforms that are the result of the social dialogueeven if they are not perfect. And one of the shortcomings it has is that it is not flexible, something essential at a time of change like the current one. If we have to maintain jobs in a fictitious way, we are doing ourselves a disservice, both to companies and to the taxpayer. In the short term it can work, but it is bread for today and hunger for tomorrow. the erte they will not be attractive enough for businesses, they are too rigid.
“Temporary work is never good, neither for the worker, nor for the company”
Regarding the labor reform, is it difficult for them to hire SMEs with the new rules?
Depending on the sectors. The discontinuous fixed increases the liabilities of the companies and that conditions their balance sheets. The temporality It is never good, neither for the worker, nor for the company. But let’s go back to before lack flexibility.
But so far employment is growing and with a record of indefinite.
Yes, the data is good, but it does not allow us to see those contracts that companies could make if they had more flexible conditions. There are people who tell us that, given the current uncertainty, they prefer not to contract than to do so under the current conditions.
How does that square with complaints from various quarters that they can’t find staff?
It depends on the sectors. 11,000 electrical installers are missing in Catalonia, with an agreement with salaries of 23,000 euros, which is not bad. But the job requires a certain level of technology that the professional offer cannot cover. We have to invert the system. we can’t have a 10% unemployment and that there is a lack of people in restoration, tourism, cleaning or other areas.
“We cannot have 10% unemployment and there is a lack of people in restaurants, tourism or cleaning”
If those sectors raised wages, would they find workers?
They have agreed wages collective agreement, signed by employers and unions. If people don’t go to work because they don’t earn enough and prefer to stay unemployed… In the end it is a mathematical question. If the offer does not attract the demand, we have to ask ourselves how we make the offer. But with this reality of unemployment someone is going to have to explain it to me. We spend 83% of employment policies on unemployment benefits, what kind of policies are we implementing to give people opportunities?
What note do you give the Generalitat in its actions to curb inflation?
In the social dialogue section a “must improve”. It is not true that there is no social dialogue, proof of this is the National Pact for Industry, but the situation requires more agreement and consensus than ever. And so far he has not taken any action, I refer to the tests.
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From Govern they allege lack of competences and budget, what do you claim?
That the Generalitat has few powers to influence [en la inflación] it’s true. That it has little budget in some cases is evident. But there are steps you can start to take to turn threats into opportunities. You have more room to act. Eliminate the property transfer tax to facilitate mergers and acquisitions of companies or lower the personal income tax fee to reactivate consumption… the list is long. The risk is that economic activity stagnates and that is where it is necessary to intervene.