Fátima Báñez made it clear to labor unions yesterday that the wording of Spain's labor reforms would be kept basically as is after the Spanish government gives their approval.
Báñez was only prepared to accept mechanical improvements that could be updated in the Decreto Ley, but in no case would the Partido Popular, who has an absolute majority in the Parliament, approve any substantive changes.
The labor reform, which just went into effect, should not deviate from its fundamental objectives for the sake of untenable consensus with social agents.
The Spanish government has approved a norm that contains stiff but necessary measures in line with those already applied in other EU nations. These nations have had fewer problems with unemployment throughout the financial crisis. For this reason, Merkel backs the reforms in Spain.