The Guilds of the retail food trade of Catalonia urge the administrations to take immediate, real and effective measures to reduce energy costs. Given this situation, they warn of the accelerated risk of the disappearance of local businesses. According to a joint statement, the unions represent 17,306 companies, 20,353 establishments and 55,429 workers.
The Catalan Federation of Associations of Flequers Guilds, the Catalan Federation of Carnissers-Xarcuters-Candaladers, the Fruit and Vegetable Retailers Guild of the Province of Barcelona, the Bacallà and Salted Fish Retailers Guild, the Gremi d’ Herbolaris, Apicultors i Alimentació Dietètica i Biològica de Catalunya, the Gremi de Pastisseria de Barcelona and the Gremi de Peixaters de Catalunya have met to discuss issues that are seriously affecting the sectors of the traditional food trade.
In the economic situation caused, among others, by the sustained and runaway rise in all energy costs, “the traditional food trade sector, essentially made up of the self-employed and SMEs, are making a great effort to mitigate the negative impact of these increases in the final consumer”, and this situation “if extended over time” can lead “definitively to the reduction of the productive and commercial fabric of the country”.
The different signatory entities of the communiqué denounce that “the increase in the price of food is a direct consequence of the increase in energy costs and therefore, a measure such as the one announced to put a price cap is not a solution but, due to the Otherwise, it can have negative effects on production and competition”.
Contrary to the commodity basket
The Government’s measure to cap the prices of basic products “will only benefit large operators to the detriment of small businesses, which do not have room to adopt the measure.”
Jobs are at risk in economies that are already at risk. It endangers the productive fabric. The commercial structure of our country is in danger. The unions ask that the administrations “take immediate, real and effective measures to reduce production costs, especially energy costs, and thus guarantee the present and future viability of traditional and local trade.”
