Tenerife
The Government and social agents resumed negotiations today (Thursday) regarding the 6th extension of the ERTE until January 31st with some progress, but also some discrepancies, especially in relation to linking them to staff training, and the "resistance" of the Government to keep the counter at zero in unemployment benefits for employees.
They will meet again tomorrow morning with the intention of trying to close an agreement so that they can get approval of the royal decree for the extension in the Council of Ministers next Tuesday, September 28th, two days before the expiration of the current period.
Given that the automatic extension is eliminated, and that companies will have 10 days to reapply for the ERTE, the parties will sign two simultaneous agreements to give companies a deadline so that they have time to make a request, and so that workers get paid in the meantime.
The first agreement will be an automatic extension of the current ERTE in the same conditions as now, for one month until October 31st.
The second agreement between the Government and the unions will be the VI Social Agreement in Defence of Employment (ASDE), which will include the new conditions of the ERTE and come into effect from November 1st to January 31st, 2022, giving time for companies to reapply without interruption or confusion.
This will also give them time to negotiate Social Security exemptions, which the Government wants to reduce, but the unions want to keep the same, and to finalise the details of the extension for both ERTE and autonomos.
