CEOE, CEV and the Generalitat Valenciana sign a protocol for companies to collaborate in mass vaccinations

The president of CEOE, Antonio Garamendi, the president of the Valencian Regional Government, Ximo Puig, and the president of the Business Confederation of the Valencian Community (CEV), Salvador Navarro, have signed a collaboration protocol for the implementation of the Sumamos Health+Economy Plan in the Valencian Community, a plan promoted by the CEOE Foundation.

This agreement, which aims to support and strengthen the health authorities’ efforts in the region, will make it easier for companies to join the mass vaccination plan through their own prevention services or through mutual work insurance companies. 

During the event, which was also attended by Fátima Báñez, President of the CEOE Foundation, Ana Barceló, regional minister for Universal Health and Public Health, and Zulima Pérez, Director General for the Coordination of Social Dialogue, the CEOE President stated that “health and the economy are communicating vessels” and stressed that companies have been at the disposal of the authorities “from the very start of the pandemic”. Garamendi offered “the capacity of companies” to speed up the vaccination process, and pointed out that, in the Valencian Community, “111 companies have more than 500 workers”, which means they have their own medical services, and there are “121 mutual insurance company centres with 1,500 workers prepared for the vaccination”.

In turn, the president of the CEV insisted on the benefits of public-private collaboration to give the boost that the economy needs and now, “on the verge of the start of mass vaccination, we want companies’ efforts and involvement in the vaccination plan to also help a greater number of people and businesses to improve their situation as soon as possible”, he added. 

The plan will be implemented under two premises: that there are enough doses available to guarantee the planned public vaccination strategy and that the age brackets set by the Health Department for administering the vaccine are respected. Based on these, the companies will provide whatever collaboration is necessary in order to reinforce the actions of the Health Department in the Community.

In the words of the President of the Generalitat, “this is a time for alliances”, and he stressed that the CEOE Foundation’s Sumamos Plan “is a forward-looking initiative”. According to Ximo Puig, “the great challenge is to move forward as quickly as possible to achieve maximum immunisation”, and he added that “this is the key to overcoming the pandemic”.

They all agreed on the value of social dialogue and public-private partnerships in tackling the crisis and enabling a recovery. 

More information on the Sumamos Plan: here