“Jobs are at the heart of the welfare system”

Fátima Báñez, president of the Ceoe Foundation, took part in a lunch-colloquium organised by Amephu in Monzón.

The president of the Ceoe Foundation, Fátima Báñez, took part in a lunch-colloquium in Monzón organised by the Association of Businesswomen of the Province of Huesca (Amephu) and the City Council, in which she spoke about ‘Business, employment and social commitment’.

After signing Monzón Town Hall’s Guest of Honour Book, the former Minister of Employment and Social Security (position she held between 2011 and 2018) shared a meal with almost eighty entrepreneurs from across the province, accompanied by the mayor Isaac Claver, the president of Amephu, Carmen Fernández; and the presidents of Ceos-Cepyme Huesca, José Fernando Luna; of Empresarios de Cinca Medio, Ángel Mas, and of Ceos Aragón, Miguel Marzo, who also took the floor in an act conducted by Susana Deito, journalist of DIARIO DEL ALTOARAGÓN.

Báñezrecalled that the Ceoe Foundation brings together all the companies, industries, and territories of Spain, and “we are here to build a better society together, one that moves forward taking everyone into account, and doing the main thing that companies do, which is to contribute to creating wealth and opportunities, and also strengthening the social commitment that also characterises us as a civil society”.

After a brief overview of what is happening today in Spain, ” in a context of uncertainty, experiencing what we could call a polycrisis, and facing ongoing challenges”, Fátima Báñez acknowledged that “business, employment and social commitment are three things that people have in common. Human capital is a country’s great strategic assettocompete, and, without a doubt, it is our main tool for progress in companies, where owners, shareholders, managers, and workers pull together to make a better country”.

“In these current times, where the role of companies in Spanish society is sometimes called into question, more than everwe have to talk about the main role played by the civil society, a network of which employers and trade union organisations are a part, in order to build a better Spain”, reiterated the President of the Ceoe Foundation.

For this reason, in her opinion, it is essential to support companies and she drew attention to the fact that the public administrations should “help and accompany them along the way, but not get in their way“, which means “respecting them, valuing them as a fundamental part of the civil society and eliminating red tape, easing administrative procedures and avoiding unnecessary burdens.”

She stressed that the best thing that our country and companies have is “their human capital”, andyoung and experienced people, men and women, different cultures and people with different skills should come together, “without them we cannot move forward either as a company or as a society.”

She drew attention to the need for greater digital qualifications, adaptation to artificial intelligence, versatility and teamwork, stressing that “skills are learned, but then they have to be practised.”

Work-life balance was another of the issues addressed by Fátima Báñez, at a time when “there are more women working in Spain than ever before”, as well as the need for updating and implementing effective active employment policies, since “jobs are at the heart of the welfare system.”