Spanish employers go for continuity in elections

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Spanish employers have supported continuity in electing José María Cuevas as chair of the CEOE-CEPYME employers' confederation for the fifth time, in February 1998. In his inaugural speech, he advocated policies including fiscal reform to reduce employers' social security contributions.

Elections were held in the Spanish Confederation of Employers' Organisations-Spanish Confederation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (Confederación Española de Organizaciones Empresariales-Confederación Española de la Pequeña y Mediana Empresa, CEOE-CEPYME) in February 1998. CEOE-CEPYME is the peak organisation for Spanish employers, representing employers across all areas of production (sectors and sub-sectors), company sizes (large, small and medium-sized), types of ownership (public and private) and territorial scope (national, multinational, regional and local). This all-encompassing nature may mean that associations with diverse interests are brought together under the same structure. Indeed, since its creation in 1977 the CEOE has had no rival to threaten its position. The autonomy of its member organisations and of the individual companies makes it possible to reach a consensus. It is a "macro-organisation" whose members are the various employers' organisations, which maintain their own legal personality and organisational structure. These organisations are divided into two categories, regional and sectoral, which aim to maintain a balance across the whole representative structure of the CEOE. This is organised in a pyramid that has four levels: the general assembly, the board of directors, the executive committee and the presidency. There is also an executive hierarchy that assists the presidency, comprising a general secretary with a technical staff divided into departments.

As usual, turnout in the elections was low (52%), but as is traditional, the single slate of candidates proposed received the support of the majority of those voting (97%, with no votes against). The members of the general assembly of the employers' confederation voted for a slate whose main feature was continuity. It included the current leaders and a few "new faces", due to the increase in the number of members sitting on executive structures. The number of vice-presidents increased from six to nine and the number of members of the executive committee from 28 to 33; all of these were men over 60 years old. The board of directors was increased from 92 to 100 members, 42% of whom were replaced, and includes two women.

José María Cuevas was chosen again as the chair of CEOE-CEPYME, a post that he has held for 14 years. In his inaugural speech, attended by several members of the Government, he revealed the policy guidelines of his fifth term of office. Mr Cuevas:

• expressed his support for fiscal reform involving a reduction in employers' social security contributions and in the tax on economic activity;

• called for the reform of public expenditure on pensions, health and unemployment and criticised job creation in the public sector, which he called artificial;

• rejected the 35-hour working week because it would not solve the problem of unemployment;

• continued to criticise the work of the courts in labour relations, and particularly in the field of termination of contracts - he proposed the non-intervention of the courts in dismissals and the repeal of legislation dealing with this matter, which he claimed to be "a distorting element in what should be a decision of the employer"; and

• finally, called for the preservation of the principle of market unity within Spain during the process of autonomous (regional) development, and the establishment of "harmonious regulations in fiscal, labour, administrative or social matters across the whole of Spain".