The general strike convened for this Wednesday 11 November has opened a debate about its possible economic consequences. Various business organizations have warned about the impact that the disruption of activity may have on companies and on the economy as a whole.
Conpymes has put forward two scenarios to estimate the effect of the strike. With a level of impact of 30%, it calculates that the economic activity harmed would amount to €1.850 billion, equivalent to 0.11% of GDP. If the follow-through reached 70%, the figure would rise to €4.560 billion, 0.27% of gross domestic product.
The organization argues that small businesses and self-employed workers will be especially vulnerable to disruptions in activity, as they have less capacity to absorb its consequences. Its president, José María Torres, has also questioned whether union mobilization can resolve problems such as access to housing.
For its part, the Club of Spanish Exporters and Investors estimates that a widely followed strike could affect €1.600 billion in exportable production. Its president, Antonio Bonet, also warned that the call may convey an image of uncertainty to international investors.
CEOE and CEPYME warn of harm to companies
CEOE and CEPYME rejected the call in a joint statement published on 6 October. Both organizations considered that demands related to housing correspond to public administrations and criticized that the cost of the protest is passed on to companies and to economic activity.
The president of CEOE, Antonio Garamendi, said that businesspeople will be the "payers or those harmed" by a strike which, in his view, is directed against a problem that is not the responsibility of companies. The employers' organization has not backed these statements with its own economic forecast about the impact of the day.
The president of CEPYME, Ángela de Miguel, has also warned that the stoppage will especially harm small and medium-sized companies and self-employed workers, who have less leeway to cope with a disruption to their activity. She has also not specified a figure for the possible economic consequences.
Unions argue that companies can raise wages
The general secretaries of CCOO and UGT have defended salary demands linked to the call and have questioned the business arguments about the lack of capacity to assume pay increases.
In an interview published on November 8, Unai Sordo stated that business margins allow for improving wages and defended general increases of around 4%, which could reach 7% in agreements with lower-remuneration.
Pepe Álvarez also questioned the position of companies and pointed out that business margins could exceed 18%. The general secretary of UGT had placed days earlier the employers’ association as the main recipient of the call, due to its position in the negotiation of the trade union demands.