The Spanish Union of Railway Machinists (Semaf) has "positively" welcomed the "change of attitude" and the "willingness" to reach agreements shown by the first vice president and minister of Economy, Trade and Enterprise, Carlos Cuerpo. Nevertheless, the group will wait to see whether the commitments are made concrete and considers that, for now, the shift is not enough to suspend the strikes called by Renfe for the days 10 and 12 of November.
"We continue with the mobilizations," Semaf’s general secretary, Diego Martín, reiterated in statements to the media after the meeting held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility with Cuerpo, who provisionally assumes this responsibility after Óscar Puente’s resignation.
Martín explained that the Executive has provided them with "a lot of documentation and a lot of legal text" and regulations with measures aimed at developing the agreement signed in February, which "directly affects the safety of the entire rail system". These would be proposals linked to internal procedures, protocols, the management of weather alerts, just culture, or continuous driving, oriented toward responding to the risks that the machinists had been reporting.
In spite of this, the union official has asked for prudence regarding compliance with the "expectations" generated and has considered it unfeasible for all these initiatives to be approved before the dates set for the strike.
"For the moment they have shown willingness to negotiate on all matters, they have not drawn any red line; we also see the change at the end of their stance in the negotiation. We had been six months without any kind of news on many matters and now, in 24 hours, they have given us information about several and we assess that development positively, but right now it is not enough to be able to call off the strikes," Semaf’s spokesperson said.
The union will now have to review in detail the material sent by the Government. "We have to analyze an enormous amount of documentation, an enormous number of legal texts, and we have to read it carefully, because in the end it is an enormous amount of information that they have provided us with today itself, so we cannot really assess whether all the demands we put on the table are being met or not, and we will see whether they do. Logically, these are matters that ultimately benefit all users, all workers," he said to reporters.
On this line, Martín has underlined that “the change in tone is obvious, but it will have to be materialized.” “We have already lived through similar situations, but we understand that in the end it is the work that backs whoever puts it on the table, so in the end in the coming weeks we will see what is carried out,” he added.
Asked about the possibility of new meetings with Carlos Cuerpo, he has specified that the union is “the invited party” and not the “inviter,” and that they will wait to check whether “sufficient progress” is made in order to sit down again to negotiate.
Meeting in a “cordial atmosphere” and no changes in the stoppages
“In a cordial atmosphere,” during the meeting they went into “in more detail each of the demands,” according to sources from Semaf to Europa Press. They also highlight the “willingness to see them through” that the minister has conveyed to them and their intention that they be approved “with the greatest speed.”
These statements, according to the union, contrast with those that the previous Transport minister, Óscar Puente, conveyed to them at the time, who placed the emphasis on “the procedures and bureaucratic obstacles for their approval.” This shift has generated “satisfaction” in the organization, which, aside from the stoppages, stresses its willingness for “collaboration and work” in the “definition of the text(s) of the regulations” that the Government intends to move forward.
“As we see ourselves in the same situation as 10 months ago, on this occasion good intentions are not enough. Concrete facts are needed,” Semaf has stressed.
Along with the train drivers, representatives of CCOO and UGT from the rail sector also took part in the meeting. The previous Thursday, Cuerpo and Semaf had already held an initial contact in the Ministry of Transport, a meeting that the union described as a “first contact” meeting in which “no progress” was recorded regarding the “demands” put forward.
The Government talks about “specific progress” and a constructive attitude
From the First Vice Presidency of the Government they maintain that during the meeting “specific progress” has been made and they ensure that Carlos Cuerpo “has put solutions on the table to address the complaints regarding safety by the unions.”
The same sources describe the meeting with the trade union organizations as “very productive” and thank the “constructive attitude” shown by all parties.
Finally, the Executive branch points out that “closing with urgency in the coming days the details” of the regulatory proposals that are being finalized has been scheduled.