The government delegate in Galicia, Pedro Blanco, stressed today at the University of Vigo that “employment with rights is the best social policy, and shared well-being, the best guarantee of progress”. He did so at the opening of the international seminar RightsEU, a meeting that brings together experts from six countries to address the challenges of ecological transition, digitalization and social cohesion in the workplace.
Blanco thanked the university and the coordinator of the project, Emma Rodríguez, for their commitment to a “fairer, more cohesive and more social” Europe, and stressed that this type of forum “is essential to continue advancing a European agenda that puts the rights of working people at the center.”
Throughout his speech, the delegate reviewed the advances promoted by the Government of Spain in recent years in the field of labor rights: the increase of the Interprofessional Minimum Wage by 54% since 2018, the labor reform that reduced temporality, the protection of domestic workers, the implementation of ERTE, the regulation of teleworking or the next reduction of the working day to 37.5 hours a week. “We are committed to a growth model that leaves no one behind. A model that accredits that it can be led in Europe by expanding rights and guaranteeing stability,” he said.
He also highlighted the Government’s commitment to the Social and Care Economy, through instruments such as the specific PERTE, and with social dialogue as a key tool for progress.
In Galician terms, Blanco stressed that the Recovery Plan represented “an unprecedented transformation”, with more than 4,000 million euros invested in digitalization, sustainability, quality employment and territorial cohesion. “Never before has so much been transferred from the State to Galicia and its municipalities,” he said.
The delegate celebrated that, thanks to this impulse, Galicia records record numbers of affiliation, historical minimums of youth and female unemployment, and an economy “stronger and more prepared for the challenges that come.”
However, he warned that there are challenges ahead such as the regulation of artificial intelligence at work, mental health at work or digital disconnection.
Finally, Pedro Blanco called for the collective responsibility of continuing to build a people-centred Europe: “Equality and non-discrimination are not just legal principles: they are the ethical foundation of the European project. Without equality there is no cohesion. And without cohesion, there is no future for Europe.”