The president of FES, Andrés Ortega, said that the current context points to a Spanish economy “with greater dynamism than expected”, since GDP increased by 0.7% in the first quarter, a growth rate more than remarkable, based mainly on the favorable financing conditions existing.

“The forecasts that we manage business organizations for the whole of the year are 2.1% in this 2019 and 1.8% in 2020, although some national and international institutions and organizations have revised this forecast upwards, as is the case of the Bank of Spain ”. And he summed up: "the outlook for 2019 is still positive and the expected slowdown for this year is delayed, in view of the indicators"

Ortega also referred to the positive evolution of employment, with a national growth close to 3% according to the figures of Social Security affiliates. And he stressed that the province of Segovia ended the month of June 6,229 unemployed, a figure significantly lower than that of provinces in our environment such as Zamora or Palencia.

Taxation

“Pending what the new Government's formation holds for us, whenever possible, the duty of business organizations and therefore of FES is to continue claiming the best possible conditions for exercising economic activity. And this necessarily happens, in the first place, by promoting taxation that does not suffocate companies and the self-employed, nor in some cases definitely stops their ability to generate wealth and employment, ”explained the president of the Federation.

As he said, the tax and contribution burden in Spain is clearly higher than the European average, “and if our battle is to achieve greater competitiveness, in this matter we find it frankly difficult. We must turn this situation around so that the contribution of companies can be used as an element in favor of positive discrimination: a system of tax incentives for investment should be created to generate employment ”.

In his opinion, it is not about taxing but rather combating and eradicating submerged economy rates and assumptions of tax fraud and evasion so that the tax system is more fair, distributes tax pressure more equitably, contributes to economic growth and job creation, and reduce the budget deficit without increasing that pressure on companies.

Industry and "paradigm shift"

Another of the objectives with which FES is committed is the necessary increase in the weight of the industrial sector in the economic fabric of the province, which is clearly underrepresented. “This means addressing a diversification that will allow us to have a more stable growth, both in provincial GDP and in employment, both subject to short-term factors,” added Andrés Ortega.

“It is also important that FES accompanies, helps and in some cases leads the process of adaptation to what has been called a paradigm shift, that is, to the new rules for doing business that are not an option but a challenge. We talk about globalization, digitalization and innovation.

We are determined that no company in the province, whatever its activity or size, is left out of this process. It is true that the State would have to start by really creating this challenge and increasing the current 1.3% of GDP that goes to R & D & I, which is clearly insufficient and has no capacity to be the engine that companies they need to address this change, ”he said.

New governments

The president of FES announced two meetings with the new Governments formed in the municipal, provincial and regional spheres, explaining to those attending the Assembly that “it is time to remember all the demands that we transfer to the political formations in the wide and intense pre-election era , and so we are doing it or we will do it shortly ”.

In all three areas, FES participates in the Social Dialogue processes, and it is in this context that it will require conditions for competitiveness:

  • A training system adapted to the needs of our productive fabric
  • A firm, clear and funded commitment to combat the double exodus suffered by our province and our Community: those who leave to work for lack of opportunities on this land and those who leave the rural environment, aggravating the problem of depopulation
  • A commitment to the best of the energy, technology and communications supply so that our companies can be competitive
  • A stable plan to attract companies and industry to the territory

In addition, Ortega reviewed before the associates some of the issues that have focused work in the Federation, such as the Segovia 25/250 project to increase the business census in the province; the commitment to the Dual FP, with two programs underway in collaboration with the CIFP Felipe VI; visits to companies in the province to learn about the reality of each region; or the integration into the Digital Innovation HUB of Internet of Things with the Institute for Business Competitiveness of Castilla y León, AETICAL (Association of ICT Companies of CyL) and the Air Institute of the University of Salamanca.

Activity Report

For his part, the secretary general of FES, José Luis de Vicente, reviewed the most outstanding activities of the 2018 exercise, to which the Assembly was referring and on which FES has prepared its corresponding Report.

The legal and legal advice FES attended during 2018 about 1,200 consultations, a figure that has been stabilizing in recent years in relation to the years of the crisis as they have continued to decrease the extinctions of labor relations, as well as claims in salary matters. There have also been numerous consultations by autonomous entrepreneurs, mainly due to the reforms that were intended to be carried out, and which later materialized in 2019, as well as with their familiarization with electronic notifications.

As to AgreementsIn 2018, the Collective Agreement for the Hospitality Industries was signed for a term of four years and the Collective Agreement for the Iron and Steel Industry with a temporary validity of three years. Likewise, assessments and interpretations have been carried out in all collective agreements applicable in Segovia.

Refering to economic-fiscal adviceDuring the year 2018, 953 consultations and services provided have been attended and evacuated, a figure very similar to last year.

The Program of Professional Orientation for Employment and Self-Employment Assistance. A total of 274 users have participated in the project and completed their respective itineraries, reaching 100% of the objectives set in the different phases

FES has assumed the advice to entrepreneurs outside the project as an initiative of its own so that no possible business generation opportunity is left without being valued and advised. In this regard, the Federation has supported and collaborated, throughout 2018, 120 entrepreneurs with the intention of launching their business ideas in the province of Segovia.

In matters of prevention of occupational hazards, throughout 2018, the Prevention Department has carried out 205 face-to-face technical consultancies. In addition, a wide range of courses, technical conferences and seminars, of different levels and for all productive sectors, has been organized.

They have also been made two visit campaigns of advice on prevention of occupational risks to companies, subsidized by the Junta de Castilla y León; one for the sectors marked as priorities in 2018 with 220 visits, and another specific for all companies in the forestry sector of the province of Segovia with 20 visits dedicated to the prevention and extinction of forest fires.

As for the Department of CommunicationDuring 2018, 97 press releases have been prepared and disseminated and 17 press conferences have been convened. Monthly, 12 issues a year, the Segovia business magazine is published.

Three big lines

Although there are dozens of measures that we claim for the benefit of business activity in the province, there are three main lines that the secretary general stressed:

  • Stop the bleeding of the population that suffers from the province of Segovia and that is the big problem, and the big challenge, on which all efforts should focus. Support sectors that can be a revulsive, such as forestry and resin in the province
  • Strengthen the productive fabric and boost business activity with new projects that generate employment and wealth
  • Diversify the business network of Segovia, achieving greater weight in the industrial sector, and helping companies in the province to gain size and competitiveness

Unity

The president and the general secretary of FES made several interventions before the Assembly with a fierce defense of the business unit and the force of FES as a representative organization of the economic fabric of the province.

“There are many challenges, many fields where we are working and we will continue to do so. And we have to do it from unity, cohesion, coordinated work and being fully aware of our responsibility as a business organization, ”said Andrés Ortega.

“I have verified that we have a remarkable capacity to influence when defending the interests of companies and the self-employed. We do not always meet our objectives, but the truth is that the Public Administrations know what is behind the acronym FES, they know that we bring together the representation of the entire economic fabric of the province, and that is very strong. ”

For his part, José Luis de Vicente recalled that the Federation has more than 40 years of existence during which it has continued to provide services to its Groups and associates, consolidating itself as “The House of Entrepreneurs”, a reference in the local areas , provincial and regional.

"It is essential, today more than ever, that we reinforce that trajectory of representation and service with coordinated work, cohesion, unity and good understanding," he concluded.



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