ELA urges to take measures for a “fair exit” to the current socioeconomic crisis

Given the new context generated by the war in Ukraine, Mitxel Lakuntzageneral secretary of ELA and Michael Novalhead of Studies of the union, have appeared today to demand measures that suppose “a fair solution” to the crisis, “with the aim of avoiding an impoverishment of the working class, and tackle the structural problems that have now worsened: inflation, relocation and material crisis”.

According to the union, it would be necessary to limit the prices of energy products, bet on public control of energy and adopt measures to transform the production model, among other actions.

Lakuntza has pointed out that “just now that inflation is skyrocketing, it is more necessary than ever that wages do not lose purchasing power”; since, according to him, “salaries are not the problem, but part of the solution”. He has recalled, however, that “pensions, the SMI or salaries in the public sector have risen well below the 2021 CPI” and have stressed that ELA will continue to defend salary increases that at least guarantee the CPI.

On the other hand, Mikel Noval has shown that the rise in prices is not only due to the war in Ukraine. “It is a reality that was already occurring before. The lack of materials or the limits of oil or gas extraction capacity were problems that already existed”, he recalled. He has also remarked that “the design of the electricity system makes the tariff more expensive for the benefit of electricity companies, we have already repeatedly denounced it”, and has pointed out that the fact that “with speculation there are those who enrich themselves at the expense of excessive price increases.

For all these reasons, ELA has demanded, in addition to the aforementioned maintenance of the purchasing power of salaries, several immediate effect measuresamong them, the controlled of marketing of all energy products and the cap setting “in socially acceptable values, at the price of electricity or fuel”. In addition, they emphasize the need to public control of energy and in the urgency of changing the electricity pricing system, “so that all energy is not paid based on the price of the most expensive source”.

Along with these immediate measures, ELA has listed other measures to respond to the “systemic challenge of changing the economic and social model” that underlies many of the problems “that are now emerging”. Proposals, such as the “significant increase in the public investment directed towards sectors whose expansion is socially and ecologically necessary (such as a public, universal and free care system, or equating public investment in health or education to the European average); a Tax Reform that it notably increase the taxes paid by companies for their profits as well as capital; wave citizen audit of public debt“.