Responding to Wednesday's unemployment figures, the CCOO union said that extending ERTE for "as long as necessary" should be an obligation.
A statement from the union called for the greatest amount of aid possible for people who have been unable to make sufficient contributions and for those who have lost benefits.
The unemployment figures, the union added, were to have been expected, even if they were "less harsh" than for previous Augusts. The CCOO highlighted the case of the Balearics in particular, where the rise in unemployment (89.88% compared with August 2019) was far higher than elsewhere in the country. Catalonia experienced the second highest increase, 29.41%.
The figure for the Balearics was "the consequence of the total dependence of the tourism industry on sun and beach holidays". The rise in the infection rate and governments' recommendations against travelling to the islands caused unemployment to increase "significantly".
The CCOO stressed the need for political parties, employers and unions to work "in the same direction" in ensuring that the whole working population in the Balearics has access to benefits and that there are new sources of employment which can reduce inequalities generated by the impact of the health crisis on the seasonal and tourism economy.