The president of the Popular Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, has asked the unions to reconsider and call off the strike announced against the opposition, especially after the railway tragedy that has shocked Spain. During an informative breakfast organized by Europa Press, the Popular leader has appealed to the responsibility of the trade union organizations in the face of a situation that, in his view, has exposed the fragility of the State and requires abandoning political confrontation.
"The strike must be called off in these circumstances", Feijóo has stated, who considers that the call already started from an erroneous approach. "Strikes are not called against those who do not govern", he has pointed out, before addressing the union representatives directly: "Reconsider that strike called against the opposition. It is incomprehensible with 69 deaths. Do not do it or you will be linked to Pedro Sánchez".
Feijóo has insisted that the priority must be to strengthen the institutions and restore confidence in public services, instead of using the situation to obtain political advantages. "This confrontation has to end. The obligation is to think about how to strengthen the nation and not take advantage of the situation", he has defended.
His intervention has taken place at a moment marked by the consequences of the railway accidents and by doubts about the maintenance and safety of the infrastructures. In that context, the president of the PP has called for a change in the way of governing and has requested a clear political mandate to undertake what he calls the "national reconstruction".
Feijóo appeals to the credibility of the unions: "I need interlocutors with whom I can sit down"
The Popular leader has returned to the call during the question period of the informative breakfast. He has explained that, when the strike was announced, he preferred to maintain a "respectful silence", although he already considered it mistaken to organize a mobilization directed against the opposition.
"When it was called I maintained a respectful silence. But in this situation that Spain is living through, making a strike against the opposition makes no sense", he has reiterated.
Feijóo has assured that he conveyed his reservations to some union leaders with whom he maintains relations and that now he wants to extend that message to all the organizations. "I need interlocutors with whom I can sit down. I do not want weak social agents," he stated, convinced that calling off the strike would help improve his credibility and reputation.
In his view, the impact of the tragedy and the doubts affecting trust in public services such as Adif make maintaining the protest even less comprehensible. The president of the PP has maintained, moreover, that there are doubts among the union members themselves about the appropriateness of the call.
"I am convinced that, if they call it off, the unions will be right," he added, before insisting that his purpose is to unite the country and not take advantage of the division to obtain political gain.
A general strike called for November 11
Feijóo's request refers to the general strike scheduled for next November 11, called by CCOO, UGT and other organizations around demands regarding housing, wages and the cost of living.
The unions have defended that the protest addresses the set of public administrations and employers' organizations, not exclusively a political party. Their general secretaries, Unai Sordo and Pepe Álvarez, have also acknowledged that they aspire for the mobilization to influence the electoral debate prior to the November 29 elections.
The call thus takes place, in the full election campaign period and after the railway accidents of Adamuz and Urda, which have placed the safety of infrastructure at the center of the political debate.
An audit of the entire State in the first hundred days
Beyond the request to the unions, Feijóo has announced that, if he reaches the Presidency of the Government, he will order a general audit of the State during his first hundred days in office. The objective, he has explained, will be to examine the use of public resources, review the money granted to the different bodies and determine whether there are irregularities that should be brought to the attention of Justice.
"Fraud will be reported," he assured.
The president of the PP has committed to incorporating the results of that review into the first General State Budgets of his Government. He has also announced a specific investigation into the railway system, separate from the general audit, so that citizens know the situation of the infrastructures and the management carried out during recent years.
"Spaniards will know the truth," he has promised, while calling for absolute respect for the infrastructures and a review of the criteria by which their managers are appointed.
Feijóo has defended that management positions should be filled by professional ability and not by political affinity. He has also called for listening to workers, whose warnings he considers essential to know the real problems of the system.
"There can be no incentives if management is a disaster," he stated, in a criticism of the remuneration and responsibility mechanisms of public managers.
An internal Adif report warns of a 39% drop in the reliability of the facilities
One of the most relevant statements in his intervention has been the reference to an internal Adif report that, according to Feijóo, the Government knows about and that warns of a deterioration in railway indicators with a horizon in 2030.
According to the data presented by the president of the PP, the document foresees a 39% drop in the reliability of the facilities and a 94% increase in accidents attributable to the infrastructure manager.
Feijóo has pointed out that the report was sent to the railway operators, who had the opportunity to submit allegations. The existence of those forecasts, according to his interpretation, would show that the Executive had information about the risks of deterioration of the network.
These are figures attributed by Feijóo to an internal document whose full content could not be independently verified. In addition, they are forecasts for 2030, not results already recorded. To determine their scope, it will be necessary to examine the report, its methodology, the indicators used, and the allegations of the operators.
Railway safety has acquired a particularly sensitive dimension after the accidents at Adamuz and Urda. In the latter, which has caused 69 deaths, the investigation into the functioning of the protection systems, the circulation procedures, and the decisions adopted after the technical incidents continues.
"I want to govern with institutions that tell me no"
Feijóo has placed institutional regeneration among the three major commitments of his political project: to recover decency in the exercise of power, to get the country to function, and to ensure that citizens’ effort once again is worth it.
The Popular leader has called for a conception of politics based on the personal responsibility of those who hold public office. "Each leader must assume responsibility for their subordinates," he has argued, considering that the absence of consequences for management mistakes sends a devastating message to society.
He has also reiterated his intention to promote legal reforms to strengthen institutional checks, even when they may limit the scope of action of his own Executive.
"I want to govern with institutions that tell me no," he declared, committing himself to accept checks and balances in the exercise of power.
In that context, he has reproached Pedro Sánchez for having, in his view, turned political activity into a succession of gestures and whims, instead of focusing on the problems of citizens. He has cited his interventions on personal, musical matters or matters unrelated to public management, as well as certain actions by the Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente.
"Where is the joke?", Feijóo asked himself, insisting that governing requires seriousness and accepting the consequences of decisions.
Housing, taxes and public services: the commitments of his project
The president of the PP has used the breakfast to present the main lines of his Government program. Among them, he has reiterated the commitment to promote the construction of one million homes, improve the availability of doctors and strengthen legal certainty so that citizens can develop their personal and professional projects.
He has also announced a review of fiscal policy with the aim of reducing taxes and favoring those who work, save or start businesses.
"Spaniards get up early, work, they are asked for more than ever, but they have fewer opportunities," he stated.
His goal, he explained, is to establish an economic and administrative framework in which effort allows progress and those who fulfill their obligations do not feel harmed in comparison with those who fail to fulfill them.
Feijóo has defended that Spain needs to recover trust in institutions and have a shared project that transcends partisan confrontation.
"Pedro Sánchez has been a mistake. Societies do not persist in mistakes, they correct them"
In the most political part of his speech, Feijóo has presented the elections of November 29 as an opportunity to rectify the course of the country.
"Pedro Sánchez has been a mistake. Societies do not persist in mistakes, they correct them," he has maintained.
The president of the PP has explained that his proposal for national reconstruction came before the railway tragedy, although he considers that the latest events have reinforced the need to change the way public services are managed.
"For me governing has never been a joke. Now it is even less so," he has stated.
Feijóo has asked for a clear mandate to undertake reforms from the institutions and recover respect for citizens. He has assured that he does not intend to feed indignation or turn the country's problems into an instrument of permanent confrontation.
"We are not facing a simple political decision. Reconstruction must be undertaken," he has pointed out.
The popular leader has closed his intervention by claiming a change of Government that will allow the functioning of public services to be recovered, the destination of the money to be reviewed, and pending problems to be addressed from day one.
"I propose a change in favor of Spain," he has summarized, before reiterating his request for a mandate to "recover the course, face the problems and get Spain moving".