The deputy delegate of the Government in A Coruña, María Rivas, intervened in the event organized by the Luis Tilve Foundation and UGT de Galicia, in which the “Decent Work” award was given to Cándido Méndez.
In her speech, the subdelegate expressed the government’s unwavering commitment to policies committed to the rights of workers, “a government that in each of its measures expresses the maxim of leaving no one behind.”
María Rivas, wanted to highlight the commitment and work developed by Cándido Méndez during his term at the head of the UGT; since important advances were made in collective bargaining, in terms of social protection, and in equality both in the labor field and in the internal field of the union.
Rivas stressed that during Cándido Méndez’s term as Secretary General, the importance of promoting the presence of women in trade unions was reinforced, introducing positive action measures to strengthen equality in trade union action.
These changes represented a great advance, since “they had an important echo in the living and working conditions of many women, because for the first time trade unionism was forced to look face to face, face to face their working conditions, through collective bargaining, and then, things began to change.”
He also recalled the central and constitutional role that trade union organizations have, recognizing that they are fundamental to the articulation of the welfare state since they are “the indispensable counterweight to guarantee the rights of workers, to improve the economy of a country, and as indispensable allies in the development of the welfare state.”
The deputy delegate reviewed the Government’s progress in the labor field, among which she highlighted the increase in the minimum wage, labor reform and the increase in pensions, and stressed the importance of social dialogue when it comes to conquering new rights that improve people’s lives.
Thus, he pointed out, the Government was the one to take forward, thanks to social dialogue, agreements such as the increase in the minimum wage, which was revalued by 54% since the arrival of this Government, going from 735.9 euros in 2018 to 1,134 euros today; the extension of the rights of pensioners, with the revaluation linked by law to the increase in prices and with the flexibilization of access to retirement.