The resignation of both comes in the midst of negotiating far-reaching reforms such as pension and self-employed quotas, as well as welcoming migrants due to the war in Ukraine.
The two Secretaries of State that the Minister for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, José Luís Escrivá – who, with an arrogance worthy of a better cause, disqualified a few weeks ago the Bank of Spain’s criticism of the Government’s proposed pension reform, considering its arguments to be “unsophisticated” – have resigned in less than 48 hours. On Monday, the Secretary of State for Migration, Jesús Javier Perea Cortijo, and on Tuesday the Secretary of State for Social Security, Israel Arroyo Martínez, informed Escrivá that they were leaving their posts for personal reasons.
The Director General for Coordination, Relations with Parliament, Rights and Diversity, Isabel Castro, will be appointed as the new Secretary of State for Migration, a post that Jesús Perea is leaving one year and two months after taking over, sources from the Executive confirmed to Efe on Tuesday.
Perea is leaving in the midst of the refugee crisis caused by the war in Ukraine, with a reception system that has had to expand its capacity to deal with the 125,000 Ukrainians who have sought refuge in Spain.
A departure that is also taking place a few weeks after the presentation of the draft royal decree to reform the regulations on foreigners in order to incorporate thousands of foreigners into the labour market. This, as Escrivá himself confirmed on Monday, “is very close” to being sent to the Council of State.
Meanwhile, the Secretary of State for Social Security and Pensions, Israel Arroyo, has told the Ministry of Inclusion on Tuesday that he intends to step down from his post, something that will happen “in the next few weeks”, ministerial sources explained to Efe.
The Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration has assured that Arroyo’s departure is a “departure at his own request after some very intense years”. “It is something that has been planned for some time,” they said. However, they added that it has been delayed because Arroyo wanted to have the law on the promotion of occupational pension plans approved in Parliament, which is expected to go through the Senate tomorrow.
Also the reform of the contribution system for the self-employed, whose negotiation between the government, social partners and self-employed associations has taken place over the last few months and seems to be in its final stretch.
Borja Suárez will substitute Arroyo and now be in charge of the social dialogue meetings on the second block of the pension reform that remains to be carried out. This includes, as announced by José Luis Escrivá, changes to the period for calculating pensions.
