Héctor Gómez visits the Cádiz Consortium on his first trip to the province after his recent appointment as head of the Industry, Commerce and Tourism portfolio
The representatives of CCOO, UGT and CEC in Cádiz have had the opportunity to present their concerns to Gómez and have addressed the situation of the Cadiz industrial fabric and the main challenges facing the sector.
The State delegate in the Consortium, Fran González, received the minister and explained the main lines of work of the Institution, focused on a change in the more sustainable industrial model with projects such as Incubazul, which champions entrepreneurship in the Blue Economy in Andalusia.
Cadiz, April 28, 2023
The Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Héctor Gómez, visited the Cádiz Free Trade Zone this afternoon where he held a working meeting with the majority union organizations and employers to learn first-hand about the state of the industrial fabric in the province and address the main challenges of the sector. The newly appointed minister wanted to get to know the Free Trade Zone and its work in the economic development of the province on his first trip to the area.
The State delegate in the Consortium, Fran González, has received the minister and informed him of the main lines of work being developed by the Institution, which champions a more environmentally friendly industrial model, with projects based on energy efficiency, commitment to renewables and sustainable mobility, especially highlighting the good reception that the high-tech incubator in the Blue Economy, Incubazul, is having to attract and promote innovative initiatives and strengthen entrepreneurship in this emerging sector.
The minister Hector Gomez has highlighted "the high number of business projects that have already accessed the incubator of the Cadiz tax precinct, which acts as a powerful engine for the development of business ideas. The Free Zone's commitment to sustainability and the circular economy with Incubazul, an already consolidated project, is important. that is turning Cádiz into the epicenter of the Blue Economy throughout Spain.”
After signing in the Book of Honor of the Free Trade Zone, the meeting began with the economic and social representatives of the province, which was attended by the president of the Confederation of Businessmen (CEC), Javier Sánchez Rojas, accompanied by the general secretary, Carmen Romero; the general secretary of CCOO in Cádiz, Inmaculada Ortega, and Juan Linares, provincial secretary of industry of CCOO Cádiz; and Antonio Pavón and Antonio Montoro, general secretary of UGT Cádiz and provincial secretary of Industry of UGT Cádiz, respectively, in addition to the host, the delegate of the Free Zone and the deputy for Employment and vice president of the IEDT, Ana Carrera.
During the meeting, the parties addressed the current situation faced by the industrial sector in the province, emphasizing the reality of employment data. The majority unions have expressed to the minister their concerns about Navantia's workload, compliance with the deadlines of the Airbus agreement, the development of the Pact for Industry or the implementation of new production models that change the structural situation of the province.
The delegate of the Free Trade Zone, Fran González, thanked the minister for his visit to Cádiz "because this first vision of the reality of the sector in the province was very necessary through the main protagonists such as the social and economic representatives and thus being able to continue developing strategic lines of work that address from real knowledge the possible difficulties of the sector and, above all, the exciting challenges that arise with diversification towards a more sustainable and efficient industry, with the commitment to renewable energies, in which “Cádiz has a lot to say at the state level with all the projects related to the Blue Economy and green hydrogen.”
For his part, at the end of the meeting Javier Sánchez Rojas highlighted that "the growth of the province of Cádiz in employment and wealth generation requires strengthening its secondary sector because it is the only one capable of creating jobs quickly. We are talking about a province that, among its great realities, has industrial centers of great relevance: the first port in Spain, the second industrial hub in the Campo de Gibraltar; naval and aeronautical industry in the Bay, agri-food and processing, etc."
"The supply chain of these large industries are equally key in our province. We must strive to meet their demands, especially those related to specialized training, so that they can be competitive. We are talking, in short, about a very powerful sector, which we have to maximize within the framework of the Social Dialogue between unions and business organizations, together with the institutional and political consensus," remarked the president of the CEC.
The provincial secretary of CCOO, Inmaculada Ortega, has indicated that "we cannot miss this opportunity, the project that frames Spain's Aerospace Strategy must go through Cádiz, this province must aspire to be a reference, for this the execution of the Pact for the Industry in our territory is essential."
Likewise, Antonio Pavón, general secretary of UGT in Cádiz, wanted to thank the minister for his prompt visit to Cádiz and for having convened the unions so that he could "know first-hand the needs of the Industry in the province." During the meeting, he assessed the need to create a Table for Industry where social and economic agents are represented together with the Central Government "where the true reindustrialization of the province of Cádiz is addressed." He also took the opportunity to remember the potential of European funds "which must be an opportunity to consolidate the productive model in a way that creates quality employment and, above all, that it is accompanied by the necessary training to address this necessary energy transition and that it is fair."
