translated from Spanish: Opposition darts to economists who signed support for Piñera labor reform

The government’s labor reform made noise in the former, after the public supported the initiative by former Minister of Finance, Rodrigo Valdés, and other opposition-related economists.
“In our opinion, the proposal adequately combines spaces to improve the productivity and quality of life of workers with the necessary protection,” they raised in a letter sent to El Mercurio, signed by Valdés himself, by the former president of the Bank Central and former minister of Ricardo Lagos, José de Gregorio, civil engineer Eduardo Engel and economist Andrea Repetto. In the missive, the executive’s project is valued, which, according to them, proposes a monthly day “more flexible than the current weekly day” and that the adaptation of this work aspect “lowers the hours per month worked by 8%”.
“It’s a reform where everyone can win, it’s not a zero-sum game,” they argued.
Rejection of the opposition sector
However, since the opposition, the support of these left’s representatives emerged immediately. For the vice-President of the PS, Camilo Escalona, “it is a disappointment that people who have been linked to us in defending labor rights have crossed the sidewalk of the front.”
Still, the former President of the Senate said not to consider the presence of Valdés ‘ signature in the missive as a “betrayal,” although he did assert that it is “a regrettable decision.” “What they say has nothing liberal, but it is neoliberal. What this government does is to place Chile in the most anachronistic place in the countries with which it is measured. We are the OECD country with the fifth longest day (…) This bill is the return of the ‘ Bloodsucker ‘, he concluded.
In this same line, the former Minister of Labor of the administration Bachelet, Osvaldo Andrade, advised the four authors of the letter to “read the whole project” and that if they do perhaps “do not change their minds, but for less will qualify.”
Likewise, the Minister of Labour, Alejandra Krauss, told Radio Duna that none of the four signatories “can be very skilled in labor matters”, saying that they do not know “the behavior of how workers ‘ labor rights work”.
For his part, the former spokesman for government, Francisco Vidal, recalled the passage of Valdés by the previous government, and noted that “part of the failure of Bachelet II is that he had ministers who do not believe in the program.”
Government recognition
In counterpart, the current minister Secretary General of the Presidency, Gonzalo Blumel, obviously valued the letter signed by members of the new majority.
“Statement of opposition-linked economists, acknowledging progress of #ModernizacionLaboral project presented by the Government. Less trenches, more collaboration. You have to value it when it happens, “he posted in his Twitter account.

Original source in Spanish