Companies in the primary mining sector are, once again, ignored by the central government in the extension of the fuel subsidy. The measures, adopted by the Council of Government, do, however, take into account other primary sectors as beneficiaries, which causes a worrying situation of comparative grievance. «We do not understand that the primary mining sector has once again been excluded from the 20 cents discount on a litre of fuel, even though we know that diesel is the source of power for all quarry machinery and is consumed in large quantities», says Jesús Posadas, president of the Andalusian Marble Business Association, AEMA (Asociación de Empresarios del Mármol de Andalucía).
The employers’ association has been working since last March in a tireless action against the Government, which has included, among other initiatives, countless meetings to convey their problems and warn of the terrible situation that is weighing down the profit and loss accounts of the companies, to the point of causing their closure. «We are talking about a sector that generates stable employment, with the highest Social Security contribution coefficients of all sectors and which, in turn, is a supplier to other primary sectors», reported the president, who stressed that «the extractive companies are unable to find out why this obvious discrimination is taking place with respect to other primary sectors». We are not asking to be treated better,» said Posadas, «but at least under the same conditions».
After the Royal Decree-Law 6/2022 of 29 March, adopting urgent measures in the framework of the National Plan of response to the economic and social consequences of the war in Ukraine already left the stone industry and the primary mining sector out of all the sectoral measures, to date, they are still not eligible for any of the Executive’s aid. «The survival of our industry is unviable if the Government ignores our needs», warned Jesús Posadas, who since then and together with part of his Board of Directors, has met with the Secretary of State for Democratic Memory of the Spanish Government, Fernando Martínez, the Undersecretary of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Pablo Garde, the Director General of Industry, Pablo Gutiérrez and the Director of the Cabinet of the Minister of Industry, Juan Ignacio Díaz, as well as with Manuel García Hernández, Director General of Energy Policy and Mines and Daniel Torrejón, Deputy Director General of Mines, for the same purpose: to request the inclusion of the mining sector, CNAE 08. 11, in all the measures adopted and to save the situation that is causing companies to fall into a deep economic crisis.
